Induction rf fluorescent lamp with processor-based external dimmer load control

ABSTRACT

A processor controlled induction RF fluorescent lamp, where the control processor runs a load control algorithm at least for switching the electrical load for connection to an external dimming device, the lamp comprising a vitreous envelope filled with an ionizable gas mixture; a power coupler comprising at least one winding of an electrical conductor; and an electronic ballast providing appropriate voltage and current to the power coupler.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of the following U.S. patentapplication, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety:U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/339,091, filed Jul. 23, 2014.

The application Ser. No. 14/339,091 is a continuation-in-part of thefollowing U.S. patent application, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/042,598,filed Sep. 30, 2013.

The application Ser. No. 14/042,598 is a continuation-in-part of thefollowing U.S. patent application, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/042,580,filed Sep. 30, 2013.

The application Ser. No. 14/042,580 is a continuation-in-part of thefollowing U.S. patent application, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/039,066,filed Sep. 27, 2013.

The application Ser. No. 14/039,066 is a continuation-in-part of thefollowing U.S. patent application, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/016,363,filed Sep. 3, 2013.

This application is a continuation-in-part of the following U.S. patentapplication, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety:U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/030,758, filed Sep. 18, 2013.

The application Ser. No. 14/030,758 is a continuation-in-part of thefollowing U.S. patent application, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/016,363,filed Sep. 3, 2013.

The application Ser. No. 14/016,363 is a continuation-in-part of thefollowing U.S. patent application, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/968,766,filed Aug. 16, 2013.

The application Ser. No. 13/968,766 is a continuation-in-part of thefollowing U.S. patent application, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/957,846,filed Aug. 2, 2013.

The application Ser. No. 13/957,846 is a continuation-in-part of thefollowing U.S. patent application, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/837,034filed Mar. 15, 2013.

The application Ser. No. 13/837,034 is a continuation-in-part of thefollowing U.S. patent applications, each of which is hereby incorporatedby reference in its entirety: U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/684,660 filed Nov. 26, 2012, U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/684,664 filed Nov. 26, 2012, and Ser. No. 13/684,665 filed Nov. 26,2012.

This application claims priority to the following provisional U.S.patent application, which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety: provisional U.S. patent application 61/874,401 filed Sep. 6,2013.

The application Ser. No. 14/339,091 claims priority to the followingprovisional U.S. patent application, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety: provisional U.S. patent application61/863,171 filed Aug. 7, 2013.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present invention generally relates to induction RF fluorescentlight bulbs, and more specifically to reduction of electromagneticinterference from an induction RF fluorescent light bulb with aferromagnetic core.

2. Description of Related Art

Discharge lamps create light by exciting an electrical discharge in agas and using that discharge to create visible light in various ways. Inthe case of fluorescent lamps the gas is typically a mixture of argon,krypton and/or neon, plus a small amount of mercury. Other types ofdischarge lamps may use other gasses. The gas is contained in apartially evacuated envelope, typically transparent or translucent,typically called a bulb or arc tube depending upon the type of lamp.

In conventional discharge lamps electrically conductive electrodesmounted inside the bulb or arc tube along with the gas provide theelectric field used to drive the discharge.

Use of electrodes can create certain problems. First, the discharge istypically designed to have a relatively high voltage in order tominimize losses at the electrodes. In the case of fluorescent lamps,this may lead to long, thin lamp structures, which function well forlighting office ceilings, but are not always a good fit for replacingconventional incandescent lamps. Fluorescent lamps designed to replaceincandescent lamps, known as compact fluorescent lamps, or CFLs, aretypically constructed by bending the long, thin tube, such as intomultiple parallel tubes or into a spiral, which is now the most commonform of CFLs. A plastic cover shaped like a conventional incandescentlamp is sometimes placed over the bent tubes to provide a moreattractive shape, but these covers absorb light, making the lamp lessefficient. Bent and spiral tube lamps also have wasted space between thetubes, making them larger than necessary. The use of a cover increasesthe size further.

The use of electrodes can create problems other than shape and size.Electrodes can wear out if the lamp is turned on and off many times, asis typical in a residential bathroom and many other applications. Thelife of the electrodes can also be reduced if the lamp is dimmed,because the electrodes are preferably operated in a specific temperaturerange and operation at different power levels can cause operationoutside the preferred ranges, such as when operating at lower power,which can allow the electrodes to cool below the specified temperaturerange.

In addition, the long thin shape selected, because it is adapted toallow use of electrodes, tends to require time for mercury vapor todiffuse from one part of the tube to another, leading to the longwarm-up times typically associated with many compact fluorescent lamps.

Finally, the electrodes are normally designed to be chemicallycompatible with the gas used in the lamp. While this is not usually aconcern with typical fluorescent lamps, it can be a problem with othertypes of discharge lamps.

One way to avoid the problems caused by electrodes is to make a lampthat does not use electrodes, a so-called electrodeless lamp. In anelectrodeless lamp, the discharge may be driven by, for example, 1) anelectric field created by electrodes mounted outside the bulb or arctube; 2) an electric field created by a very high frequencyelectromagnetic field, usually in combination with a resonant cavity, or3) an electric field created by a high frequency magnetic field withoutthe use of a resonant cavity. This latter lamp is called aninduction-coupled electrodeless lamp, or just “induction lamp.”

In an induction lamp, a high frequency magnetic field is typically usedto create the electric field in the lamp, eliminating the need forelectrodes. This electric field then powers the discharge.

Since induction lamps do not require use of electrodes, they do not needto be built into long thin tubes. In fact, a ball-shaped bulb, such asthe bulb used for conventional incandescent lamps, is a preferred shapefor an induction lamp. In addition, since induction lamps do not useelectrodes, they can be turned on and off frequently without substantialadverse impact on loss of life. The absence of electrodes also meansthat induction lamps can be dimmed without reducing lamp life. Finally,the ball-shaped lamp envelope allows rapid diffusion of mercury vaporfrom one part of the lamp to another. This means that the warm-up timeof induction lamps is typically much faster than the warm-up time ofmost conventional compact fluorescent lamps.

Induction lamps fall into two general categories, those that use a“closed” magnetic core, usually in the shape of a torus, and those thatuse an “open” magnetic core, usually in the shape of a rod. Air coreinduction lamps fall into this latter category. Closed core lamps areusually operated at frequencies generally above 50 kHz, while open corelamps usually require operating frequencies of 1 MHz and above forefficient operation. The lower operating frequency of closed coreinduction lamps makes them attractive; however, the bulb design requiredto accommodate the closed core makes them generally unsuitable forreplacing standard in incandescent lamps. Open core induction lamps,while requiring higher operating frequencies, allow the design of lampsthat have the same shape and size as common household incandescentlamps. This disclosure is primarily is addressed to the open corecategory of induction lamps.

In spite of their obvious advantages, there are very few open coreinduction lamps on the market today. One reason for the lack ofcommercially successful products is the cost of the high frequencyballast. Conventional fluorescent lamps, including CFLs, can be operatedat frequencies from 25 kHz to 100 kHz, a frequency range where low costballast technology was developed in the 1990s, and closed core inductionlamps can be operated at frequencies from 50 kHz to 250 kHz, for whichthe ballasts are only slightly more expensive. However, open coreinduction lamps typically require operating frequencies of 1 MHz orhigher. The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) hasestablished a “lamp band” between 2.51 MHz and 3.0 MHz that has relaxedlimits on the emission of radio frequency energy that may interfere withradio communication services. Cost effective open core induction lampsmay preferably have an operating frequency of at least 2.51 MHz.

The lack of commercially successful open core induction lamps may betraced to the absence of a low cost ballast that can operate in the 2.51MHz to 3.0 MHz band while meeting all the requirements of the FCC; thatis small enough to fit into a lamp; that has a ballast housing that isthe same size and shape as a conventional incandescent lamp; and thatcan be dimmed on conventional TRIAC dimmers found in homes in certainmajor markets, such as the U.S. The present disclosure addresses one ormore of these issues. Therefore a need exists for improved inductionlamps, especially in residential applications.

SUMMARY

In accordance with exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, systems andmethods for the configuration and operation of an electrodeless lamp,also referred to as an induction lamp, are provided. In embodiments, aprocessor may be embedded within the ballast of the induction lamp toprovide control of a dimming function. The processor may provide adimmable induction lamp with flexibility of design operation whilereducing the size of the ballast, such as to enable the more flexibledimmable design into the lamp envelope similar to that of a standardincandescent lamp.

The present disclosure describes an induction RF fluorescent lampcomprising a bulbous vitreous portion of the induction RF fluorescentlamp comprising a vitreous envelope filled with a working gas mixture; apower coupler comprising at least one winding of an electricalconductor; an electronic ballast, wherein the electronic ballastprovides appropriate voltage and current to the power coupler; and aprocessor for control of a dimming function. In embodiments, the dimmingfunction may be controlled by the processor that monitors a dimmingsignal from an external control dimming device, such as where theexternal dimming control device is an external TRIAC dimming device. Theprocessor may execute control of the dimming function through aprocessor-based algorithm, such as where the algorithm controls lumenoutput of the induction RF fluorescent lamp at least in part throughmonitoring of a dimming signal from an external control dimming device.For example, the dimming signal may provide a TRIAC firing angleindication to the RF induction lamp. The algorithm may control lumenoutput of the induction RF fluorescent lamp at least in part throughmonitoring of a switch setting of a switch on the induction RFfluorescent lamp, such as where the switch setting controls a dimminglevel for the induction RF fluorescent lamp, disables the control of thedimming function as dimmable from the external control dimming device,and the like. The lamp may further comprise a remote control interface,such as where a remote control device at least in part controls thedimming function. The lamp may further comprise a wireless networkinterface, such as where a networked device at least in part controlsthe dimming function. The networked device may be a second wirelessnetworked induction RF fluorescent lamp. The electronic ballast may becontained within a tapering portion of the induction RF fluorescent lampthat tapers from the bulbous vitreous portion to a screw base such thatthe bulbous vitreous portion, the tapering portion, and the screw basetaken together provide exterior dimensions similar to that of anordinary incandescent lamp. The processor may control the dimmingfunction through burst-mode dimming that implements dimming of theinduction RF fluorescent lamp by periodically interrupting the voltageand current to the power coupler in order to reduce the power beingdelivered to the power coupler, through frequency-mode dimming thatadjusts the operating frequency of the induction lamp away from anoptimal operating frequency for operation of the electronic ballast inresponse to an input from the external dimming control device, throughamplitude-mode dimming that adjusts the amplitude of a voltageassociated with the power being delivered to the induction lamp inresponse to an input from the external dimming control device, and thelike.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The invention and the following detailed description of certainembodiments thereof may be understood by reference to the followingfigures:

FIG. 1 depicts a high-level functional block diagram of an embodiment ofthe induction lamp.

FIG. 1A depicts embodiment dimensionality for an induction lamp.

FIG. 1B depicts embodiment dimensionality for an induction lamp.

FIG. 2 shows a typical circuit diagram of a TRIAC based dimmer known inthe art.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of an electronic ballast without anelectrolytic smoothing capacitor known in the art.

FIG. 4 illustrates dimming operation of the electronic ballast known inthe art.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of an electronic ballast with a dimmingarrangement in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates the ballast and lamp operation method in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 7 shows a block-schematic diagram of the TRIAC dimmed ballastaccording to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 8 shows a block-circuit diagram according to an exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 9 shows oscillograms of the TRIAC voltage, lamp current and lampvoltage in a dimming mode, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 10 shows an embodiment for a pass-through circuit.

FIG. 11 depicts an exemplary embodiment cross-section view of an RFinduction lamp.

FIG. 12 depicts an exemplary embodiment cross-section view of a couplerwith the inserted grounded shell.

FIG. 12A depicts an exemplary embodiment of a capacitor acting toprovide electrical isolation from a ferrite core coupler.

FIG. 12B depicts an exemplary embodiment of a capacitor acting toprovide electrical isolation from an air-core coupler

FIG. 13 shows an exemplary experimental and commercial lamp covered withcopper foil for purposes of an experiment.

FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary experimental set-up for measurement ofthe lamp surface voltage.

FIG. 15 provides experimental data of conductive EMI (points) and theallowed limits (lines) taken with a related art lamp using a LISN setup.

FIG. 16 provides experimental data of conductive EMI (points) and theallowed limits (lines) taken with the test lamp accordance to anexemplary and non-limiting embodiment.

FIG. 17 shows a block-circuit diagram of electronic ballast comprising aPassive Valley Fill PF correction circuit accordingly to the presentinvention.

FIG. 18 shows waveforms of the input current and DC bus voltage of theballast in FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 shows a block-circuit diagram of electronic ballast with aPassive Valley Fill Circuit dimmed by TRIAC based dimmer.

FIG. 20 shows waveforms of the input current and DC bus voltage of theballast in FIG. 19.

FIG. 21 provides an EMI reduction embodiment where a conductive materialin contact with the ferromagnetic core of the power coupler is wrappedfrom the inside of the core to the outside of the windings on the core.

FIG. 22A shows a method of attaching the flag.

FIG. 22B shows a method of attaching the flag.

FIG. 22C shows two flag orientations.

FIG. 22D shows a folded flag in two different orientations.

FIG. 22E shows a folded flag and a starting in aid in two differentorientations.

FIG. 23 shows a Paschen-like curve.

FIG. 24 shows an example of a high frequency DC-to-AC inverter circuit.

FIG. 25 shows an example of a DC-to-AC inverter with a matching network.

FIG. 26 shows an example of a DC-to-AC inverter with a matching network.

FIG. 27 shows an example of a DC-to-AC inverter with a matching network.

FIG. 28 shows an example of a DC-to-AC inverter with a matching network.

FIG. 29 shows an example of a DC-to-AC inverter with a matching network.

FIGS. 30A-B show examples of a bent wire mount.

FIG. 31A-B show examples of a helix mount.

FIG. 32A-B show examples of an alternate helix mount

FIG. 33-34 shows different spacing of coupler windings.

FIG. 35 shows a printed circuit board with vertically mountedcomponents.

FIG. 36 shows an example of a heat spreader.

FIG. 37 shows an example of heat spreader in contact with the uprightelectrical components.

FIG. 38 shows an example of a clip.

FIG. 39 shows a printed circuit board with a clip holding the heatspreader in contact with certain electrical components.

FIG. 40 depicts a magnetic field generated by a closely wound solenoid.

FIG. 41 depicts an exemplary embodiment of an induction lamp havingthree wires wound in parallel on the coupler core.

FIG. 42A depicts an exemplary embodiment of an induction lamp where thewinding on the core has variable spacing, being more closely wound inthe middle of the core relative to the winding spacing at the ends ofthe core.

FIG. 42B depicts an exemplary embodiment of an induction lamp where thewinding on the core has variable spacing, being more closely wound atthe ends of the core relative to the winding spacing at the center ofthe core.

FIG. 43 depicts an exemplary embodiment of an induction lamp where theend of the RF source that is not connected to circuit common iselectrically connected to the turns of wire along the coupler at the endfarthest from the ballast.

FIG. 44 depicts the relationship between mercury vapor pressure withinlamp envelope and luminous output.

FIG. 45 depicts a system for evaluating amalgam composition.

FIG. 46 depicts the amalgam performance measurement process.

FIG. 47 illustrates characteristic light output measurement curves fordifferent mercury vapor pressures.

While described in connection with certain exemplary and non-limitingembodiments, other exemplary embodiments would be understood by one ofordinary skill in the art and are encompassed herein. It is thereforeunderstood that, as used herein, all references to an “embodiment” or“embodiments” refer to an exemplary and non-limiting embodiment orembodiments, respectively.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An induction-driven electrodeless discharge lamp, hereafter referred tosynonymously as an induction lamp, an electrodeless lamp, or anelectrodeless fluorescent lamp, excites a gas within a lamp envelopethrough an electric field created by a time-varying magnetic fieldrather than through electrically conductive connections (such aselectrodes) that physically protrude into the envelope. Since theelectrodes are a limiting factor in the life of a lamp, eliminating thempotentially extends the life that may be expected from the light source.In addition, because there are no metallic electrodes within theenvelope, the burner design may employ high efficiency materials thatwould otherwise react with the electrodes, such as bromine, chlorine,iodine, and the like, and mixtures thereof, such as sodium iodide andcerium chloride. Embodiments described herein disclose an inductormounted inside a re-entrant cavity protruding upward within the burnerenvelope, where the inductor is at least one coil, which may be woundaround a core of magnetizable material suitable for operation at thefrequency of the time-varying magnetic field, such as ferrite or ironpowder, to form the power coupler that creates the time-varying magneticfield that generates the time-varying electric field in the lamp'sinterior. The power coupler receives electrical power from ahigh-frequency power supply, known as a ballast, which in embodiments isintegrated within the base of the induction lamp. The ballast in turnreceives electrical power through a standard base, such as an EdisonScrew Base (E39, E26, E11 or E12 base), a GU-24 base, and the like, fromthe AC mains. The form factor for the induction lamp may take a formsimilar to a standard incandescent light bulb, (A19 shape) or anincandescent reflector lamp, such as an R30 or BR30, thus allowing it tobe used as a replacement for incandescent light bulbs.

Referring to FIG. 1, an embodiment of an induction lamp 100 isillustrated, having an ‘upper’ light providing portion 102 (i.e., thelight delivery end, understanding that the lamp may be mounted in anyorientation per the lamp socket position), a ‘lower’ electronics portion104 (i.e. the opposite of the light delivery end), and anelectrical-mechanical base connection (e.g. an Edison base), where theproportions and shape of the upper and lower portions of the inductionlamp are illustrative, and not meant to be limiting in any way. Inembodiments, the upper portion may include the burner envelope 108 withan induction power coupler 110 (comprising winding(s), and optionally acore as described herein) inserted up into a re-entrant cavity 112,where the induction power coupler creates the time-varying magneticfield that, in turn, creates the time-varying electric field within theburner envelop. The burner envelope contains an amalgam that providesmercury vapor. The mercury atoms in the vapor are then both ionized andexcited by the time-varying electric field. The excited mercury atomsemit small amounts of visible light plus much larger amounts ofultraviolet energy that is then converted into visible light by aphosphor coating on the inside of the burner envelope, thus theinduction lamp provides light to the outside environment.

In embodiments, the external appearance of the upper portion withrespect to its optical properties may be similar to traditionalphosphor-based lighting devices, where the glass is substantially whitedue to the phosphor coating on the inside of the envelope. The externalappearance of the lower portion with respect to its optical propertiesmay be made to be substantially similar to the upper portion in order tominimize the differences in the appearance of the upper and lowerportions, thus minimizing the overall visual differences between theexternal appearance of the disclosed induction lamp bulb and that of atraditional incandescent bulb, such as having external materials thatare similar to the external materials of the upper bulbous portion (e.g.vitreous or vitreous-coated materials).

In embodiments, the induction lamp may be structured with an upperbulbous portion, an electronics portion in the neck or tapered portionof the bulb, a screw base (e.g. Edison base), and the like, where theelectronics portion may either show externally as a separate lowerportion, such as with the upper portion seated within the neck of thelower portion, or the lower portion may be completely encased within anextended upper portion. That is, the bulbous portion may extend downover the electronics portion as a vitreous envelope all the way to thescrew base. In this way, the induction lamp may look nearly identical toan ordinary incandescent light bulb, at least when the induction lightbulb is turned on and illuminating, and optionally designed to look thesame when illuminated due to an optical design to illuminate down theneck of the induction bulb that is around the electronics portion.

Although FIG. 1, as well as FIGS. 11-12B, shows the electronics (e.g.,the ballast) located in the lower portion 104 below the power couplerinside the re-entrant cavity, this is meant to be illustrative, and notlimiting, where the electronics may be of a size that fits in a reducedportion of the neck of the bulb, located wholly inside the screw base138, located inside the reentrant cavity 112, and the like.

Referring to FIG. 1A, the induction lamp may have the approximate shapeand dimensions of an ordinary incandescent bulb, with a dimension D_(B)at the widest point of the bulbous portion 102 being within the NEMAANSI standards for electric lamps, which sets forth the physical andelectrical characteristics of the group of incandescent lamps that haveA, G, PS and similar bulb shapes with E26 medium screw bases. The NEMAANSI C78.20-2003 standard for electric lamps is incorporated herein inits entirety. Although the standard provides the outer most bounds forthe specified lamps, the common dimensions for said specified bulbs maybe substantially within these ranges. Thus the dimensionality of theinduction lamp may be approximately equivalent to those of the ordinaryincandescent bulb as manufactured as opposed to the maximum dimensionsas specified in the standard, thereby effectively providing areplacement for an ordinary incandescent bulb that matches the user'sexpectation of the profile and size of an ordinary incandescent bulb.

In an example, and per said referenced NEMA ANSI standard, the maximumfor the dimension D_(B-A19) at the widest point of the bulbous portion102 of an A19 bulb is set out to be in the range 68 to 69.5 millimeters.However, in a typical 60 W incandescent A19 bulb D_(B-A19) isapproximately 60.3 mm (or approximately 2⅜ inches, where ‘A19’ refers toan ‘A’ profile width D_(B-A19) of 19 times ⅛ inch). Similarly, theoverall length D_(H-A19) of an A19 bulb from the bottom of the screwportion to the top of the bulbous portion is specified in the NEMA ANSIstandard to be in the range between 100 to 112.7 millimeters fordifferent length versions of the A19 form factor, but the typical 60 Wincandescent A19 bulb is approximately 108 millimeters.

In embodiments, the lower portion 104 may take the form of a concavetapering neck that has a maximum tapering diameter D_(T-A19)substantially less than D_(B-A19) into which the upper portion 102 maybe seated, such as at an upper-lower interface point 140. Theupper-lower interface point 140 may have a maximum diameter where thetapering concave shape of the neck meets the spherical bulbous upperportion 102 that is less than the diameter of the sphere as in anordinary incandescent bulb, such as approximately 45 mm millimeters plusor minus a tolerance, such as +/−3 mm, +/−2 mm, +/−1 mm, and the like.From the upper-lower interface point 140 the neck may taper in a concaveform to the lower-cap interface point 142 at the top of the screw mount138, such as similar to a typical incandescent bulb. In embodiments, thetaper may be such that there is less than a thirty degree angle betweenthe surface of the lower portion 104 that runs from interface point 142to 140 and a central axis running through the lamp from the screw mount138 to the top of the bulbous portion 102. The bulbous portion 102 maybe constructed such that it forms a partial sphere having a radius thatis one-half of D_(B-A19). This may result in the bulbous portion beingseated in the neck of the lower portion 104 so that more than ahemisphere of the partial sphere sits above the neck of the lowerportion 104. In embodiments, the upper portion 102 and lower portion 104may be connected in a manner that makes their separationindistinguishable to the viewer, such as by using appropriate overlay orcoating materials, or by fashioning a seamless connection between thetwo portions.

Referring to FIG. 1B, the induction lamp may have the approximate shapeand dimensions of an ordinary incandescent bulged reflector bulb, with adimension D_(B-BR30) at the widest point of the bulbous portion 146being within the NEMA ANSI standards for electric lamps, which setsforth the physical and electrical characteristics of the group of bulkreflector lamps that have BR and similar bulb shapes with E26 mediumscrew bases. The NEMA ANSI C78.21-2003 standard for electric lamps isincorporated herein in its entirety. Although the standard provides theouter most bounds for the specified lamps, the common dimensions forsaid specified bulbs may be substantially within these ranges. Thus thedimensionality of the induction bulged reflector lamp may beapproximately equivalent to those of the ordinary bulged reflector bulbas manufactured as opposed to the maximum dimensions as specified in thestandard, thereby effectively providing a replacement for an ordinarybulged reflective bulb that matches the user's expectation of theprofile and size of an ordinary bulged reflective bulb.

In an example, and per said referenced NEMA ANSI standard, the maximumfor the dimension D_(B-BR30) at the widest point of the bulbous portion146 of BR30 bulb is 108.5 millimeters. However, in a typical 65 Wincandescent BR30 bulb D_(B-BR30) is approximately 95.3 mm (orapproximately 3¾ inches, where ‘BR30’ refers to an ‘BR’ profile widthD_(B-BR30) of 30 times ⅛ inch). Similarly, the overall length D_(H-BR30)of a BR30 bulb from the bottom of the screw portion to the top of thebulbous portion is specified in the NEMA ANSI standard to be in therange between 123.8 to 136.5 millimeters for different length versionsof the BR30 form factor, but the typical 65 W incandescent BR30 bulb isapproximately 129.5-136.5 millimeters (5.13-5.375 inches).

In embodiments, the lower portion 152 may take the form of anapproximately vertical rise from the base, D_(R-BR30), to a minimumheight of 46.7 millimeters, which is substantially less than the minimumoverall bulb height of 123.8 millimeters. The lower portion 104 may havea maximum diameter D_(T-BR30) of 43.1 millimeters plus or minus atolerance, such as +/−3 mm, +/−2 mm, +/−1 mm, and the like. From theupper-lower interface point 144 the bulb may angle up and outward atapproximately 54° from the normal to the central axis running throughthe lamp from the screw mount 138 to the top of the bulbous portion 150where the sides round radially toward the center of the bulb. At the topof the bulbous portion 150 the lamp may be approximately planar orslightly concave. In embodiments, the upper portion 154 and lowerportion 152 may be connected in a manner that makes their separationindistinguishable to the viewer, such as by using appropriate overlay orcoating materials, or by fashioning a seamless connection between thetwo portions.

In embodiments, the electronics to operate the lamp are designed andpackaged in such a way that they may be fully contained within the lamp,within the confines of a standard lamp base such as an E26 medium screwbase, within the bottom portion 104 152 of the lamp bulb, within are-entrant cavity, and the like. Techniques may include selection ofcomponents, including the migration of inductive components to thosewithout ferromagnetic cores, selection of circuit board technologyincluding flexible and printed circuit boards, the use of IC mountingtechniques such as flip chip, also known as controlled collapse chipconnection, wire bonding, and the like.

In embodiments, the induction lamp may be made to approximate the shapeand dimensions for any standard bulb, such that it is betteraccommodated by lighting fixtures designed for the standard bulb, aswell as being generally more familiar to the public, and thus moreacceptable as a replacement bulb for commonly used incandescent bulbs.As such, despite the range tolerances provided in the NEMA ANSIstandards, the induction lamp may be of a shape that is similar to anordinary incandescent lamp, such as would be familiar to a member of thepublic, but with the possibility that a segment exists between the upperbulbous portion 102 and the lower electronics portion 104 as describedherein.

In embodiments, other dimensional aspects of the induction lamp may bedetermined by the selection of a profile and size of the induction bulbto that of a typical incandescent bulb, such as an A19 bulb, a BR30 bulband the like. For instance, the dimensions of the re-entrant cavity 112and/or the power coupler 110 may be at least in part determined by theshape and/or size of the bulbous portion 102 of the induction lamp,where the shape of the power coupler 110 as accommodated in there-entrant cavity 112 determines where the resultant field strength ismaximized within the envelope. It may be ideal to have the strengthmaximized in the plane of the maximum dimension of D_(B), such as in thecentermost portion of the volume between the re-entrant cavity and theouter wall of the envelope. In this regard, the shape and positioning ofthe power coupler 110, and the re-entrant cavity 112 it resides in, mayinclude dimensional attributes that improve lamp performance within thedimensional constraints of a typical incandescent bulb.

In embodiments, the induction lamp may include other aspects thatcontribute to acceptance and compatibility with existing incandescentlighting, such as with dimming compatibility to existing externalcircuitry (e.g. dimming switches that employ TRIAC or MOSFET switches)and lighting characteristics similar to an incandescent lamp (e.g.brightness level, low flicker, matching color rendering, matching colortemperature, and the like). In this way, the induction lamp willsubstantially resemble a traditional incandescent light bulb, increasingthe sense of familiarity of the new induction lamp with the publicthrough association with the incandescent lamp, and thus helping to gainacceptance and greater use for replacement of incandescent lightsources.

The induction lamp described in embodiments herein may provide forimproved capabilities associated with the design, operation, andfabrication of an induction lamp, including in association with theballast 114, thermal design 118, dimming 120, burner 122, magneticinduction 124, lighting characteristics 128, bulb characteristics 130,management and control 132, input energy 134, and the like. The ballast,as located in the lower portion of the induction lamp, is thehigh-frequency power supply that takes mains AC as provided through thebase 138, and creates the high-frequency electrical power delivered tothe power coupler located in the re-entrant cavity in the upper portion.Improved capabilities associated with the ballast design may includedimming facilities, EMI filter, a rectifier, a power factor correctionfacility, output driver, circuitry with reduced harmonic distortion, apower savings mode with on-off cycles, lamp start-up, lamp warm-up,power management, and the like. Improved capabilities may provide for adesign that provides a compatible thermal environment, such as through astatic thermal design, through dynamic power management, and the like.

Improved capabilities associated with the dimming design may include adimming mechanism, dimming compatibility, a compatible dimmingperformance relative to a dimming curve, an automatic shutdown circuit,a minimum lumen output, and the like. Dimming capabilities may includemethods for dimming and/or TRIAC trigger and holding currents, includingfrequency dimming, frequency dimming and handshake with TRIAC firingangle, circuits without a traditional smoothing capacitor and with anauxiliary power supply, burst mode dimming, multiple-capacitor off-cyclevalley filling circuit, frequency slewing, auto shut-off dimmingcircuit, current pass-through, utilization of bipolar transistor,holding current pulsed resistor, charge pump, buck or boost converter,and the like.

Improved capabilities associated with the burner design may includeaspects related to the size, shape, gas pressure, gas type, phosphortype, materials, EMI reduction via core and/or coupler shielding,methods to reduce light output run-up time, improved lumen maintenancethrough improved burner processing, use of protective coatings on burnersurfaces or improved materials for fabricating the burner envelope andreentrant cavity, and the like.

Improved capabilities associated with the magnetic induction design mayinclude the operating frequency range, electro-magnetic radiationmanagement, reduced electro-magnetic interference utilizing active andpassive magnetic induction windings, improved axial alignment throughradial spacers, or a grounded shell inserted to the ferromagnetic core,internal transparent conductive coatings, external transparentconductive coating with insulating overcoat, electrical field shieldbetween the coupler and the re-entrant cavity, and the like.

Improved light characteristics provided may include warm-up time,brightness, luminous flux (lumens), flicker, color rendering index,color temperature, lumen maintenance, incandescent-like lighting in amagnetic induction electrodeless lamp, high red rendering indexlighting, increased R9, and the like.

Improved lamp characteristics provided may include a bulb base design,globe material, globe shape operating temperature range, bulbtemperature, size parameters, instant on electrodeless lamp forresidential applications, electrodeless lamp for frequent on/off andmotion detector applications, and the like.

Improved capabilities associated with the management and control mayinclude color control, lumen output control, power management,susceptibility to line voltage changes, component variations and/ortemperature changes, interaction with other systems, remote controloperation (e.g. activation, deactivation, dimming, color rendering), andthe like.

Improved capabilities associated with the input source may include ACinput voltage, AC input frequency, and other input profile parameters.

Ballast

The ballast is a special power supply that converts power line voltageand current to the voltage and current required to operate the burner.In the U.S. the ballast generally operates from a 120 Volt, 60 Hz ACpower line, but the ballast could be designed to operate from AC powerlines with different voltages and/or frequencies, or from DC power lineswith a range of voltages. Ballasts that are designed forinduction-driven electrodeless discharge lamps convert the power linevoltage and current into voltage and current with a frequency in therange of 50 kHz to 50 GHz, depending upon the design of the lamp. Forthe type of induction lamps described in the present disclosure, theballast output frequency is generally in the 1 MHz to 30 MHz region.

The ballast provides a number of functions in addition to the basicfrequency, voltage and current conversion functions. The other keyfunctions include: a) providing a means to generate the high voltagesnecessary to start the discharge; b) limiting the current that can bedelivered to the discharge, and c) reducing the power delivered to thedischarge to reduce the light produced when commanded to do so by auser-operated control, i.e., a dimmer.

The conversion from power line voltages and currents to the voltages andcurrents used to operate the discharge are usually accomplished in atwo-step process. In the first step, the power line voltage and currentis converted into DC voltage, usually by means of a full wave bridgerectifier and optionally an energy storage capacitor (e.g. anelectrolytic storage capacitor to smooth ripple after the rectifierstage). In the second step, the DC power created by the bridge rectifieris converted into high frequency AC power at the desired frequency bymeans of an inverter. The most common inverter used in discharge lampballasts is a half-bridge inverter. Half-bridge inverters are composedof two switches, usually semiconductor switches, connected in seriesacross the DC power bus. The output terminals of the half-bridgeinverter are 1) the junction between the two switches, and 2) eitherside of the DC power bus for the inverter. The half-bridge inverter maybe driven by feedback from the matching network described herein or aseparate drive circuit. The former is called a “self-oscillatinghalf-bridge inverter” while the latter would be called a “drivenhalf-bridge inverter.”

In addition to half-bridge inverters, the inverter can be configured asa push-pull circuit using two switches, or as a flyback or Class E orother such converter using a single switch.

The switch or switches used for the inverter can be composed of bi-polartransistors, Field Effect Transistors (FETs), or other types ofsemiconductor switching elements such as TRIACs or Insulated GateBi-Polar Transistors (IGBTs), or they can even be composed of vacuumtubes. Ballasts designed for induction lamps generally employ FETs inthe inverter.

The output voltage of a half-bridge inverter is typically composed ofboth DC and AC components. Therefore, at least one DC blocking capacitoris typically connected in series with the induction lamp load when it isconnected to the half-bridge inverter. Additionally a matching networkis connected between the output of the half-bridge inverter and theinduction-driven lamp load. The matching network provides at least thefollowing four functions: 1) convert the input impedance of the couplerdescribed herein to an impedance that can be efficiently driven by thehalf-bridge inverter, 2) provide a resonant circuit that can be used togenerate the high voltages necessary to initiate the discharge in theburner, 3) provide the current-limiting function that is required by thefact that the discharge has what is known as “negative incrementalimpedance” which would cause it to draw high levels of current from thehalf-bridge inverter if that current was not limited by some means, and4) filter the waveform of the half-bridge inverter, which is generally asquare wave, to extract the sine wave at the fundamental frequency ofthe half-bridge inverter. This last step is necessary to reducegeneration by the coupler and burner of electromagnetic radiation atharmonics of the fundamental drive frequency of the half-bridgeinverter.

The matching network is typically composed of a resonant circuit that isused to generate high voltage to start the discharge in the burner andthen provides the current limiting function after the discharge has beeninitiated. This resonant circuit is often designed as a series resonantL-C circuit with the lamp connected across the resonant capacitor.However, other configurations are possible. The coupler used withinduction lamps is inductive, so the matching network for an inductionlamp could be a series C-L with the discharge “connected” across theinductor by virtue of the inductive coupling inherent in such lamps.However, better performance is often achieved with an L-C-L circuit thatuses the inductance of the coupler in addition to a separate inductorand capacitor. Other matching networks that employ additional inductorsand/or capacitors are known in the art.

Since the half-bridge inverter is operating at a frequency substantiallyabove the power line frequency, it is also generally equipped with whatis known as an “EMI filter” where it is connected to the power line. TheEMI filter is designed to reduce the level of high frequency noise thatthe half-bridge inverter injects into the AC power line. To achieve thisfunction, the EMI filter is generally designed as a low pass filter witha cut-off frequency below the operating frequency of the inverter.

In some embodiments, the induction RF fluorescent lamp may operate athigher frequencies, above 2 MHz. These frequencies are achieved using amodified Class E circuit, an example of which is shown in FIG. 24. ClassE oscillators and inverters have a maximum theoretical efficiency of100%, but practical circuits may be limited to an efficiency of 90% to95% due to losses in the various inductors and capacitors used in theresonant output circuits.

This invention comprises modifications to a Class E circuit. An extracircuit leg, comprising a series-connected inductor, L_(MR), 2404 andcapacitor, C_(MR), 2406, is connected in parallel with the two outputterminals of a switching transistor, Q₁, 2410. Additionally, a startingvalue for the input choke inductor, L_(F), 2402, located between thepower supply 2412 and the active switch, Q₁, 2410, may be calculatedusing the following formula:

$L_{F} = \frac{1}{9\; \pi^{2}f_{s}^{2}C_{F}}$

where f_(s) represents the operating frequency and C_(F) is the devicecapacitance of the active switch, Q₁, 2410. The above formula representsan initial or starting value for L_(F) and is not intended to belimiting. The value of the input choke inductor, L_(F), 2402 of thisinvention represents a significant reduction in the value of the inputchoke inductor relative to that of a typical Class E circuit input chokeinductor which typically requires a ferromagnetic core. The reduction inthe value of this component may result in the elimination of allferromagnetic materials from the DC to AC converter section.

The modified Class E circuit of the invention uses a resonantsub-circuit to reduce the peak voltage across the active switch, Q₁,2410 allowing the use of a higher performance switch such as MOSFET orsimilar device. With a correct tuning of the resonant sub-circuit, thepeak voltage at the active switch, Q₁, 2410 may be reduced relative to atypical Class E circuit by approximately 40%. This allows the use of alower voltage rated MOSFET and the like. As this is a single transistorcircuit, the synchronization issues of a multiple transistor circuit,such as the half bridge inverter and the like, are eliminated. Thecomponents of the modified Class E circuit: inductor, L_(MR), 2404,capacitor, C_(MR), 2406, inductor, L_(s), 2412, capacitor, C_(S), 2414,and capacitor, C_(P), 2416 are selected to achieve low impedance at the2nd harmonic of the switching frequency and relatively higher inductiveimpedance at the output of the inverter, the terminals of the activeswitch, Q₁, 2410 in its off state, at the fundamental frequency ofoperation; and a capacitive impedance at the 3rd harmonic of theoperating frequency at the same pair of nodes. The impedance at thefundamental frequency is larger than the impedance at the 3rd harmonic.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 25, there is a matching network2502 between the modified Class E circuit of the invention and thecircuit load 2420, which is the power coupler for the induction lamp.There are a variety of circuits which may comprise the matching network2502. FIG. 26 illustrates one example of a matching network 2502comprising a capacitor, C_(M), 2602. FIG. 27 illustrates another exampleof a matching network 2502 comprising two capacitors, C_(M1) 2702 andC_(M2) 2704. FIG. 28 illustrates yet another example of a matchingnetwork 2502 comprising two capacitors, C_(M1) 2802 and C_(M2) 2804, andan inductor, L_(M), 2806. These examples are meant to be illustrative ofmatching networks 2502 and should not be considered limiting.

At these higher frequencies, the ballast circuit may operate moreefficiently as the power level is increased. For instance, thecombination of higher efficiency at higher power and increased operatingfrequencies may facilitate operating the lamp at higher power levels forshorter intervals of time, facilitating dimming.

At higher operating frequencies it may be possible to avoid usingferromagnetic materials for the coupler core and instead use a materialthat has a magnetic permeability essentially the same as that of freespace, and an electrical conductivity of zero, or close to zero. Onetype of material that satisfies these conditions is plastic, but oneskilled in the art will appreciate other materials that meet thischaracteristic and suitable for this application. Couplers wound on rodsor tubes that satisfy the stated conditions are typically referred to as‘air-core couplers’ or ‘air-core coils’. An air-core coil may also befabricated without the use of any rod-like or tubular coil form if thewire is sufficiently stiff or if the wire is supported by an externalstructure. The use of an air-core coil may enable the printing of thecoupler windings on the air side of the re-entrant cavity, enable theremoval of the reentrant cavity and placement of the air coil directlyin the bulb with electrical feedthroughs to the outside, and the like.

The use of an air-core coil rather than a coil wound on a ferromagneticcore may result in cost and weight savings. Additionally, an air-corecoil may be less temperature sensitive than a coil that uses a ferritecore. Magnetic materials have a temperature limitation above which theirmagnetic characteristics are severely affected. Conversion to anair-core coil eliminates the need to control the core temperature topreserve magnetic performance as a design limitation.

In some embodiments, the fundamental frequency may be selected from oneof a set of frequencies, known as the industrial, scientific and medical(ISM) radio bands. Devices emitting electromagnetic radiation in thesebands are not subject to the typical FCC restrictions on the strength ofsuch emissions, so these bands are especially useful for devices, suchas induction lamps, that use radio frequency energy fornon-communication purposes.

In one embodiment, the fundamental operating frequency is 27.12 MHz.There is an ISM band centered at 27.12 MHz and having a bandwidth of 326KHz allowing for greater operating latitude for both the primaryoperating frequency and side band emissions. FIG. 29 shows a DC-to-ACinverter circuit designed for operation at approximately 27 MHz. Theincreased latitude at this operating frequency may allow for thefrequency to be generated using a less precise and less costly ceramicresonator, or similar device, rather than a quartz crystal. In oneembodiment, the fundamental operating frequency is 40.7 MHz. There is anISM band centered at 40.680 MHz and having a bandwidth of 40 KHz. In oneembodiment, the fundamental operating frequency is approximately 13.6MHz. There is an ISM band centered at 13.560 MHz and having a bandwidthof 14 KHz. In one embodiment, the fundamental operating frequency isapproximately 6.8 MHz. There is an ISM band centered at 6.8 MHz andhaving a bandwidth of 30 KHz. In one embodiment, the fundamentaloperating frequency is between 2.5 and 3 MHz.

Ballasts that employ the basic AC-to-DC converter stage describedherein, consisting of a full wave bridge rectifier and an energy storagecapacitor, will usually draw current from the AC power line only nearthe peak of the AC voltage waveform. This leads to what is known as “lowpower factor” and “high total harmonic distortion.” Low power factor andhigh harmonic distortion are not serious issues for many consumerapplications, but would create problems in commercial and industrialapplications. Low power factor is also undesirable in consumerapplications if the ballast is to be used on a circuit controlled by aTRIAC-based incandescent lamp dimmer.

The TRIACs used in conventional lamp dimmers expect the lamp load todraw current during all parts of the power line cycle. This current isused by the dimmer to charge the TRIAC firing circuits at the start ofthe each power line half-cycle, and to maintain the TRIAC in the “on”state until the voltage drops to zero before changing polarity everyhalf-cycle. A conventional low power factor circuit draws current onlyduring a small part of the power line cycle; the part of the cycle whenthe power line voltage is near its peak value. TRIAC-based dimmerstherefore do not work properly when driving ordinary low power factorballasts.

Ballasts can be modified in at least the following five ways to makethem compatible with TRIAC-based dimmers:

In embodiments, a special “active power factor correction” circuit canbe added to the ballast. This is typically a separate power conversionstage such as a buck or boost converter that is designed to draw currentfrom the AC power line over essentially the full AC cycle. The currentdrawn generally has a sinusoidal wave shape.

In embodiments, a “charge pump” circuit can be used to feed some of theenergy from the output of the ballast back to the input, and use thisenergy to draw small amounts of current from the AC power line at thefrequency of the high frequency inverter. Charge pump circuits cancreate a sinusoidal input current, like that produced by an active powerfactor correction stage, or they can draw smaller currents that are nothigh enough to create a sinusoidal current input but are still highenough to provide TRIAC trigger and holding current.

In embodiments, the single energy storage capacitor may be replaced withtwo or more energy storage capacitors connected in such a way that theycharge in series but discharge in parallel. These so-called “passivevalley fill” circuits will draw current over a greater portion of the ACcycle than a single power line frequency energy storage capacitor,leading to improved power factor and lower total harmonic distortion.

In embodiments, the energy storage capacitor can be removed completely,or separated from the output of the full wave bridge rectifier, so thatthe circuit naturally draws power over most of the AC cycle. This typeof circuit may benefit from the addition of an auxiliary power supplythat can provide enough power keep the lamp operating when the powerline voltage drops to a low value as it changes polarity twice eachcycle.

In embodiments, an impedance element, such as a resistor or capacitorcan be connected to the output of the full wave bridge so that somecurrent is drawn from the AC power line over the full AC cycle, evenwhen the remainder of the ballast is using power stored in the energystorage capacitor and not drawing current from the AC power line.Further, the impedance element can be switched in and out of the circuitat a frequency higher than the power line frequency, or have its valueadjusted by a control circuit so as to provide the required currentload, while minimizing power loss.

In embodiments, a dimming device load control facility may enable theinduction RF fluorescent lamp to provide for electrical loads requiredfor the proper operation of an external control dimming device, thedimming device load control facility controlling an electrical load orimpedance element that may be switched in and out of connectivity withinthe electronic ballast to provide a load for the external dimmingdevice. The electrical load or impedance element is switched out of thecircuit during on-time intervals of the external dimming device andswitched into the circuit during off-time intervals of the externaldimming device.

The dimming device load control facility may comprise processor-basedmanagement and control facilities, such as with a microcontroller, adigital processor, embedded processor, microprocessor, digital logic,and the like. The methods and systems described herein may be deployedin part or in whole through a machine that executes computer software,program codes, and/or instructions on a processor, and implemented as amethod on the machine, as a system or apparatus as part of or inrelation to the machine, or as a computer program product embodied in acomputer readable medium executing on one or more of the machines. Theprocessor may be at least in part implemented in conjunction with or incommunication with a server, client, network infrastructure (e.g. theInternet), mobile computing platform, stationary computing platform,cellular network infrastructure and associated mobile devices (e.g.cellular phone), or other computing platform. The integrated circuitelectronics may comprise a single package with a combination of analogand digital integrated control circuits.

The microcontroller or the like may determine the operational state ofthe induction RF lamp, running, start-up, or off, by monitoringoperational characteristics of the induction RF lamp includingtransformer voltage, coupler voltage, coupler current, and the like.Transformations may be done on the collected operational characteristicsand they may be compared against set parameters, previously storedvalues of the operational characteristics, ratios of current to previousvalues and the like.

In embodiments, the dimming device load control facility may detect thepresence of an external dimming control device and switch in a load. Inembodiments, the dimming device load control facility may detect thetype of external dimming control device such as leading-edge type,trailing-edge type, smart type, and the like, and automatically adjustthe control of the switched electrical load based on the detected devicetype. Control adjustments may comprise where in the AC power cycle theinduction load is switched in and out of the electrical circuit. Theswitching of electrical load based on the detected external dimmingcontrol device type may be optimized to improve induction RF lampperformance such as reducing flicker in the lamp, reducing powerconsumption and noise and the like.

Burner

The burner is constructed of a transparent or translucent vitreousmaterial formed in the shape of the desired light-emitting element. Forthe type of induction lamp described herein, an open cylindrical cavity,often referred to as a reentrant cavity, penetrates one side of theouter jacket of the burner. The inner surface of the burner and thesurface on the partial vacuum side of the reentrant cavity are typicallycoated with at least one material, called ‘phosphor’ in the lampindustry, that converts ultraviolet energy into visible light. Thecoating may Aluminum Oxide, Al₂0₃, phosphor, mixed Aluminum Oxide, Al₂0₃and phosphor, and the like. The partial vacuum surface of the reentrantcavity may first be coated with a reflective material, such as magnesiumoxide (MgO) or the like, before the phosphor is applied. Such reflectivematerial reduces the amount of light lost to the air side of thereentrant cavity and thus increases the burner efficacy.

The partial vacuum surfaces of the burner may be optionally coated withan initial thin, transparent or translucent barrier layer, commonly Alon(fine particulate Aluminum Oxide, Al₂O₃), or “pre-coat” which may reducechemical interactions between the phosphor and the glass, the mercury(Hg) and the glass, and may help adhesion of the phosphor to the glass.The burner is evacuated and then filled with a rare gas, such as Neon,Argon or Krypton generally at a pressure of 13 Pascal to 250 Pascal. Theouter bulb and reentrant cavity are generally made from glass, such assoda lime glass or borosilicate glass.

The performance of the burner is a function of the dimensions of theouter bulb used to form the burner, the dimensions of the reentrantcavity, the type of rare gas fill, the pressure of the rare gas fill,the pressure of the mercury vapor (which, as is described below, is afunction of the amalgam composition and the amalgam temperature), thequality of the phosphor, the thickness and particle size of the phosphorcoating, the process used to burn the binder out of the phosphor, andthe quality of the exhaust process.

In addition to the rare gas described above, a small amount of mercuryis added to the burner before it is sealed. Often times, in order toextend the ambient temperature range of operation of an induction lamp,a mercury amalgam is used instead of pure mercury. While this allows thelamp to operate at elevated ambient temperatures (for example in hotfixtures), at room temperatures or lower ambient temperatures it maytake a longer time to obtain the full light output due to the very lowmercury pressure before the lamp warms up to operating temperature. Thisis referred to as ‘run-up time’, and a long run-up time (e.g., 30seconds or longer) is not desired, especially in residentialapplications. The mercury is commonly combined with other metals, suchas bismuth, tin, indium or lead to form an amalgam. For example the mainamalgam composition may range from 10% by weight of indium to 98% byweight of indium. The composition of the main mercury amalgam willinfluence the mercury vapor pressure during steady state operation;therefore, the choice of composition of mercury amalgam may beinfluenced by a desire to optimize the mercury vapor pressure andcorresponding light output at the steady state operating temperatures ofthe burner The mercury or mercury amalgam is typically placed in atleast two locations in the burner.

In embodiments, an amalgam may be placed in the sealed end of theexhaust tube. An amalgam may be placed in the bulbous envelope such asabove the re-entrant cavity, at the base of the bulb, or the like. Anamalgam may be encapsulated in borosilicate glass, other vitreousmaterial such as soft glass, fused silica, aluminosilicate glass,ceramics, and the like, a metal tube, or other material during thepreparation and evacuation of the burner cavity to minimize the loss ofmercury during manufacturing. The encapsulation may be breached using alaser, mechanical perforation, radio-frequency heating system or otherdevice after the burner cavity has been sealed enabling mercuryvaporized during subsequent heating to diffuse into the burner cavity.In other embodiments, the encapsulation may be formed with a tiny holeto permit mercury vapor to escape and inserted into the bulb just priorto final gas processing and sealing of the bulbous envelope. This may bedone after the baking of the envelope so that no mercury is lost duringthe baking process.

As the size of the lamp decreases, it may be more difficult to positionthe amalgam in the evacuation tube below the coupler. In embodiments,the amalgam may be placed in a capsule positioned inside the bulbousenvelope above the re-entrant cavity 3020. A capsule 3002 (FIG. 30A-30B)holding the amalgam 3004 may be held above the re-entrant cavity using abent wire mount 3008. The bent wire mount 3008 may include a singlecapsule attachment wire 3010 having two ends with a first end attachedto the capsule. The capsule attachment 3018 may be a mechanicalattachment such as the single capsule attachment wire 3010 twistingaround the capsule 3002, the capsule attachment wire 3010 may beembedded into the capsule 3002 during capsule formation, and the like.The second end of the capsule attachment wire 3010 may be attached to acapsule support structure 3014 using a mechanical attachment 3012 suchas a weld, twisted wires, and the like. The capsule support structure3014 may comprise at least two wires or two ends of the same wireextending below the capsule, bowing outward. The bowed wires arecompressed together and inserted into the evacuation tube 3022 in thecenter of the re-entrant cavity. The bowed wires of the bent wire mount3008 then press against the interior surface of the evacuation tube3022, holding the capsule in place due to friction. However, there aredisadvantages to the bent wire mount as there are few lines of contactbetween the bent wire mount 3008 and the interior surface of theevacuation tube. Under certain circumstances such as during shipping,the lamp may be jostled. This may cause the capsule 3002 containing theamalgam 3004 to shift, touching the inner surface of the bulbousenvelope. This may result in scratching or removal of a portion of thephosphor that coats the inner surface of the bulbous envelope. Thescratches may be visually unappealing and result in uneven illumination.Alternately, the movement of the lamp may result in the bent wire mount3008, and the capsule 3002 comprising the main amalgam 3004, slippingfurther into the re-entrant cavity. This would position the amalgam 3004closer to or inside the power coupler, subjecting the amalgam 3004 toincreased temperatures, potentially resulting in an unfavorable changein the mercury vapor pressure. In some embodiments, two bent wire mountsoriented perpendicular to one another may be used to hold the capsule inplace. In some embodiments, a single wire may provide the functionalityof the capsule attachment wire 3010 and the capsule support structure3014.

In embodiments, an alternate way of positioning the capsule 3002containing the amalgam 3004 above the re-entrant cavity may include theuse of a helix mount 3108 (FIG. 31A-B). The helix mount 3108 may includea single wire tightly twisted in the middle or two wires with the oneend of each the wires tightly twisted together. The tightly twistedportion 3102 may be attached to the capsule and the two ends of the wiremay be shaped into turns with the wire ends turning in oppositedirections. The turns may be entwined together to form a shaperesembling a double helix 3104. The helix mount 3108 may be attached tothe capsule 3002 using a mechanical attachment, a portion of the tightlytwisted portion 3102 may be embedded into the capsule glass 3002, andthe like

An alternate configuration of the helix mount 3208 may include a singlecapsule attachment wire 3210 having two ends with a first end attachedto the capsule. The second end of the capsule attachment wire 3210 maybe attached to a capsule support structure, in this case the doublehelix 3104, using a mechanical attachment 3212 such as a weld, twistedwires, and the like. The double helix 3104 may include at least twowires or two ends of the same wire shaped into turns with the wires orwire ends turning in opposite directions. The turns may be entwinedtogether to form a shape resembling a double helix 3104. There may alsobe a tightly twisted section 3102 near the mechanical attachment 3212.

The capsule 3002 may be positioned above the re-entrant cavity using ahelix mount 3108 3208 with the double helix 3104 portion inserted intothe evacuation tube 3022 of the re-entrant cavity 3020, the entwinedturns providing multiple points of contact between the wires of thedouble helix 3104 mount and the interior surface of the evacuation tube,resulting in increased friction with the surface of the evacuation tuberelative to the bent wire mount 3008, and thus, less movement of thecapsule 3002. The wires may be made of metals that do not react withmercury, whose coefficients of thermal expansion are similar to thematerial of the bulbous envelope, evacuation tube and re-entrant cavity,and which retain flexibility and springiness across a range oftemperatures. The wires may be molybdenum, tungsten, nickel, stainlesssteel and similar materials. The wires may be approximately 0.375 mm indiameter, enabling the wires to be embedded into the borosilicate glassof a preformed capsule using heat. The wires may be embedded into theborosilicate glass of the capsule prior to the insertion of the capsulecontaining the amalgam through evacuation tube and into the lampenvelope.

In a non-limiting example, testing has revealed that a capsule held inplace with a single bent wire mount 3008 made of molybdenum wireexhibited a pull-out force or strength of 0.3 Newtons to dislodge themount and capsule. A double bent wire mount made of molybdenum wireexhibited a pull-out force or strength of 0.7 Newtons. Whereas, acapsule held in place with a helix mount made of molybdenum wire andhaving approximately 2.0 turns exhibited a pull-out force or strength of2.4 Newtons and a helix mount made of molybdenum wire and havingapproximately 2.5 turns exhibited a pull-out force or strength of 4.0Newtons. A helix mount made of stainless steel wire and havingapproximately 2.5 turns exhibited a pull-out force or strength of 3.7Newtons. A helix mount made of molybdenum wire and having more than 3.0turns was found to be stiff, making it difficult to insert into theevacuation tube, and as a result the force required to insert the mountmay result in spring elongation and deformation of the turns of themount due to frictional forces. The wire used in all of the aboveexamples was approximately 0.375 mm in diameter. Thinner wire such aswire that is approximately 0.1 mm in diameter may not provide anadequate pull-out force or strength. Thicker wire, such as wire that isapproximately 0.5 mm in diameter, may result in increased transfer ofthermal energy from the interior of the coupler core to the amalgamcapsule, possibly resulting in an increase in amalgam temperature.

Flag

In embodiments, one or more flags, comprising a material with whichmercury may create an amalgam, are positioned in the main part of theburner cavity. After an initial run-time, the burner is turned off andsome of the mercury vapor released into the burner cavity duringoperation will settle on the inside surfaces of the burner cavity,migrate back to a main or secondary initial amalgam, settle on one ormore flags and the like. The vapor that condenses on the one or moreflags may create an amalgam, while the remaining mercury in the burnerwill either migrate back to a main or secondary amalgam or eventuallyfind its way to one or more flags, further enriching the flag amalgamwith mercury. The mercury in the flag amalgam may be released morequickly during subsequent lamp starts than the mercury in the mainamalgam, thereby shortening the run-up time considerably. The dischargecreated by the induced electric field will ideally heat the flag,releasing the amalgamated mercury on the flag before the temperature ofthe main amalgam, located below the power coupler, or a secondaryamalgam located above the coupler is sufficiently heated to vaporize themercury at that location.

In embodiments, the flag may be attached to the bulb in severaldifferent ways, such as shown in FIGS. 22A and 22B. FIG. 22A shows aflag 2202 with a pin 2204 that is embedded into the cavity wall 2208.FIG. 22B shows a flag 2210 with a pin 2212 that is mechanically placedin the lamp without the need for an additional seal.

However, placement of the flag in the main part of the burner cavityalone still may not provide satisfactory performance for residentialapplications, where consumer studies have indicated that the end usertypically requires at least 70-80% of the final light output in lessthan one second. This can be described as a relative light output (RLO)of 70-80%. The present disclosure describes a new flag design, withsize, configuration, and materials combination so as to yield asignificantly shorter time frame with respect to a goal of a 70-80% RLO(as compared to the final steady state value). In embodiments, the flagconfiguration may comprise the number of flags, radial distance of theflag or flags from the surface of the reentrant cavity, verticalposition of the flag or flags along the length of the reentrant cavity,orientation of the flag or flags relative to the reentrant cavity, thelength, width and thickness of the flag, the material used to fabricatethe flag, the shape of the reentrant cavity, and the like. The flagconfiguration may be optimized to provide short run-up time whilemaintaining high efficiency during steady state operation.

In embodiments, the induction lamp described herein may provide for arapid build-up of luminosity during the starting of the lamp. The flagmay be positioned within the lamp envelope so as to maximize lampmaintenance. The flag may be positioned inside the lamp envelope so asto enable a minimum cost and practical placement for manufacturing ofthe lamp with high-speed equipment. The induction lamp described hereinmay provide for a very large number of multiple lamp starts, such asmany tens of thousands, without suffering poor maintenance or drop inRLO at a specific time after start.

The induction power coupler creates a time-varying magnetic field that,in turn, creates a first time-varying electric field within the burnerenvelope. The time-varying magnetic field is aligned parallel to thecavity axis and the first component of the time-varying electric fieldis aligned perpendicular to the time-varying magnetic field andencircles that field. Electrical breakdown of the burner gas occurs inthe presence of the established electric field and a time varyingcurrent is established in the direction of the electric field. Withinthis field may be placed a first metallic object, flag, which issubstantially flat along a plane and having a normal perpendicular tothe plane. The orientation of the flag relative to the cavity axis, andthus the flag's orientation relative to the time-varying electric fieldand current, determines the effective surface area of the flagperpendicular to the time-varying induced electric field. The flag maybe positioned so the normal of the surface of the flag is directedradially, toward the coupler (or the plane of the flag is substantially“parallel” to the cavity axis). In this position, the normal of thesurface of the flag is oriented at an angle of 0 degrees relative to thenormal of the surface of the re-entrant cavity. Alternately the flag maybe positioned so that the normal of the surface of the flag is directedin the azimuthal direction (or “perpendicular” to the re-entrant cavityaxis). In this position, the normal of the surface of the flag isoriented at an angle of 90 degrees relative to the normal of the surfaceof the re-entrant cavity. In other embodiments, the flag may be orientedat some angle between these orientations. FIG. 22C shows these twodifferent orientations for placing the flag with respect to the axis ofthe cavity, with the flag 2214 mounted “perpendicular” to the verticalaxis of the cavity with the normal of the surface of the flag orientedat an angle of 90 degrees relative to the normal of the surface of there-entrant cavity and the flag 2218 mounted “parallel” to the cavityaxis (wherein the structure of the flag 2218 is not seen in the viewbecause the normal of the flag is in the plane of the drawing sheet).The flag 2218 is mounted such that the normal of the surface of the flagis oriented at an angle of 0 degrees relative to the normal of thesurface of the re-entrant cavity. Note also that the illustratedrepresentation of the structure of the flags 2214 2218 are one of aplurality of possible structural configurations, and are not meant to belimiting in any way.

In preferred embodiments, the flag is oriented such that the angle ofthe normal of the surface of the flag relative to the normal of thesurface of the re-entrant cavity approaches 90 degrees. In embodiments,the flag 2214, with its “perpendicular” orientation to the cavity axisand larger surface area perpendicular to the time-varying electricfield, may enable increased interaction with the current driven by thetime-varying induced electric field. This in turn may facilitate fasterheating of the flag element and faster introduction of mercury vaporinto the burner envelope, thus reducing warm-up time.

In some embodiments the first flag 2220 material may be a solid piece ofmetal. In other embodiments, a metal mesh may be used for the first flag2220 to provide multiple sharp edges that may act as field enhancementpoints. In embodiments, a mesh material may also be used in place of asolid material to reduce the mass of the first flag 2220, which may leadto more rapid warm-up. The mesh may comprise a cut metal that has beenexpanded, woven wires, punched metal and the like. The metal of flag,mesh or solid, may comprise steel, stainless steel, nickel, titanium,molybdenum, tantalum and the like. The metal of the first flag 2220 maybe plated with Indium or the like to facilitate the formation of anamalgam with the mercury. The first flag 2220 may be substantially flatalong a plane. In embodiments, the surface area of the flag with respectto the time-varying electric field may be increased by folding the flagmaterial into two or more sections, such as aligned parallel to oneanother in close proximity or constrained along the plane. An example ofthis is shown in FIG. 22D. Folded flag 2220A is positioned with aperpendicular orientation to the cavity axis and, in contrast, foldedflag 2220B is positioned with a parallel orientation to the cavity axis.

In embodiments, the one or more first flags 2220 may be positionedbetween 0 and 12 mm radially outward from the surface of the re-entrantcavity and between the re-entrant cavity and the outer wall of theenvelope. In preferred embodiments the one or more first flags 2220 maybe positioned between 2 and 5 mm from the re-entrant cavity and betweenthe re-entrant cavity and the outer wall of the envelope. The positionof the flag within the main part of the burner cavity affects the energybeing absorbed by the flag structure. For instance, the magnitude of thetime-varying electric field falls off with distance from the axis of thecoupler. The distance of the flag to the coupler also correlates tobreakdown voltage. The relationship of breakdown voltage to the productof gas pressure and distance between the electrodes appears to besimilar to a Paschen-like curve, an example of which is shown in FIG.23. At a single pressure, a Paschen-like curve describing breakdownvoltage is a function of distance alone for a mono-component gas, suchas a rare gas. At a single distance, the Paschen-like curve describingbreakdown voltage is a function of pressure alone. When both thedistance and pressure are changed, a Paschen-like curve describingbreakdown voltage is a function of the product of the distance and thepressure. It may be desirable to co-optimize the distance of the flagfrom the coupler together with the pressure within the burner envelopein such a way that the breakdown voltage is low at both start-up, whenthe gas in the burner is predominantly rare gas, and during steady stateoperation, when the pressure within the burner is slightly higher anddue to the small admixture of mercury vapor pressure. In general, theshape of the Paschen-like curve remains similar as mercury is added tothe rare gas filling, but the magnitude of breakdown voltage is loweredand the minimum shifts to a different value of the product of gaspressure and distance.

If the rare gas used is Argon rather than a gas such as Krypton, thestarting voltage will be much lower due to the well known Penningeffect, in which the ionization of the mercury is greatly enhanced bycollisions with Argon metastable atoms. The Penning effect will dominatein many Mercury-Argon discharges and may be the main driver for flagplacement in burners with Mercury and Argon, where it may be preferableto place the flag in the center of the burner space, such as mid-waybetween the reentrant cavity and the outer wall of the bulb.

In a preferred embodiment where the rare gas is a mix of mercury andkrypton, the breakdown voltage may approach a minimum at an optimumproduct of distance and gas pressure. As the product of flag location(distance from the re-entrant cavity) and gas pressure goes belowoptimum, voltage needed to initiate the arc in the plasma increasesdramatically. Alternately, as the product of radial distance of the flagfrom the coupler and gas pressure increases beyond the optimum, thevoltage required to initiate the arc in the plasma beings to increaseslowly. At room temperature start-up, the mercury pressure inside theburner cavity will be lower than at steady-state operation. The pressureinside the burner cavity begins to rise as the mercury amalgam on theflag is heated and mercury released. Subsequently, the amalgampositioned below the coupler may be heated and additional mercury vaporreleased into the burner cavity. At the lower initial pressure, it maybe desirable to position the flag at an increased distance from thecoupler to achieve a low breakdown voltage near a Paschen-like minimum.However, a flag located at the greater distance from the power couplermay have reduced interaction with the time-varying current, leading toslow heating of the flag and the release of the mercury from the flagamalgam which would translate into a slower warm-up. It is thereforeadvantageous to consider the inclusion of multiple flags, each of whichis tasked with a definite purpose.

Positioning one or more flags at various radial distances from thecenterline of the cavity axis enables different flag-field interactions.In one embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 22E, one or more flags arepositioned within the burner cavity. A set of one or more first flags2220A, 2220B may be positioned in proximity to the coupler such thatinteraction with the electric field driven current is facilitated andrelease of mercury from the amalgam contained in this flag is optimized.Positioning this set of one or more first flags 2220, in thisillustration the folded flag 2220A or 2220B, closer to the coupler mayincrease the amount of heating by a combination of the electric fieldand the discharge due to positioning it close to the radial currentmaximum, which may result in more rapid heating of the flag and releaseof mercury into the re-entrant cavity

One or more starting aid flags 2224 may be located at a distance fromthe centerline of the cavity axis to facilitate optimization of theproduct of pressure and distance at the reduced pressure that may bepresent at lamp start-up. For instance, this starting aid flag 2224 maybe used to facilitate the initiation of the plasma by being positionedsuch that the breakdown voltage for the working gas mixture described bya Paschen-like curve is reduced relative to the location of the firstflag 2214. This starting aid flag 2224 may be positioned between thefirst flag 2214 and the outer wall of the burner envelope. This startingaid flag 2224 may provide a small, pointed surface area such as a wire,the edge of a foil or sheet, or the like to facilitate electricbreakdown of the working gas. This starting aid flag 2224 may be mountedto the surface of the re-entrant cavity. This starting aid flag 2224 maybe attached to the mount for another flag 2214 such as with a spot weld2228 or the like. This starting aid flag 2224 may be comprised of aconductive metal that is not reactive with mercury such as steel,stainless steel, nickel, molybdenum, tantalum or the like. It ispreferable that the starting aid flag 2224 not comprise materialssuitable for amalgam formation, such as indium and the like. FIG. 22E ismeant to be illustrative and is not limiting with respect to thepresence, type, position or orientation of the second flag.

In some embodiments the flag material may be a solid piece of metal. Inother embodiments, a metal mesh may be used for the flag to providemultiple sharp edges that may act as field enhancement points. When highvoltage is applied at starting, the flag charges like one electrode of acapacitor and the field is enhanced by the sharp edges, providingenhanced voltage needed for breakdown. In embodiments, a mesh materialmay also be used in place of a solid material to reduce the mass of theflag, which may lead to more rapid warm-up. The mesh may comprise a cutmetal that has been expanded, woven wires, punched metal and the like.The metal of flag, mesh or solid, may comprise steel, stainless steel,nickel, titanium, molybdenum, tantalum and the like.

In embodiments it is desired to optimize mercury vapor pressure in theburner envelope. For example, the optimum mercury vapor pressure may beapproximately 0.9 Pascals. As the mercury vapor pressure falls below theoptimal value, the generation of UV radiation is reduced, resulting in alower light output. As the mercury vapor pressure exceeds the optimumvalue the generated UV radiation is reabsorbed by the mercury vapor dueto the higher mercury density. The subsequent non-radiative processprevents this diverted excitation from producing UV excitation of thephosphor resulting in reduced light output of the lamp.

In embodiments, there may be two or more amalgams of mercury positionedat various locations within the lamp to provide vaporized mercury duringoperation of the lamp. The amalgams may have different compositions andmay contribute to lamp operation in different ways. One amalgam isreferred to herein as the “main” amalgam. The purpose of the mainamalgam is to sustain the optimal mercury concentration throughout thelife of the lamp. The main amalgam typically has an amount of mercurycontent that, if it were all vaporized at once, would result in amercury vapor pressure well above the optimum. However, the main amalgamis typically positioned to regulate the speed at which the amalgam isheated and the maximum temperature reached by the amalgam, so the mainamalgam warms up slowly and acts as a regulator for mercury pressureduring operation, and the maximum temperature is regulated such that themercury is not fully vaporized during normal operation. Note thatanother reason for the main amalgam having more mercury than necessaryfor the operation of the lamp is that over time there is some loss ofmercury from the main amalgam due to interactions with the phosphor,glass, and the like, so selection of the initial amount of mercury inthe main amalgam factors into the life of the lamp and the performanceof the lamp over its lifetime.

Mercury amalgam may also be provided on one or more structures withinthe lamp envelope called flags. These amalgams contain a small amount ofmercury relative to the amount of mercury desired for optimum mercuryvapor pressure. The intent of the mercury on the one or more flags is toprovide a small amount of mercury into the vapor phase more quickly thanthe main amalgam could provide, in order to increase the rate at whichlight is developed in the lamp and thus decrease the time the lamp takesto reach maximum illumination.

Upon initial start-up of a lamp, the overall temperature of the lampincreases due to power dissipation in the plasma and, on a longer timescale, thermal diffusion from the lamp electronics. At start-up thetemperature distribution is non-uniform throughout the lamp, withtemperatures being higher in proximity to the power coupler and ballastelectronics. The main amalgam may be positioned in the evacuation tubesuch that it heats slowly and reaches a relatively low maximumtemperature. The amalgams on the one or more flags may be positioned inthe burner envelope in such a way as to heat more quickly than the mainamalgam. Positioning of the flag in different locations within theenvelope may result in different rates of mercury vaporization from theflag. For instance, an amalgam on a flag positioned near the powercoupler may heat more quickly due to its proximity to the power coupler,which acts as a source of heat when power is applied. As the amalgamheats up, the mercury vapor pressure increases to the point all of themercury on that flag is vaporized. The mercury vapor will migrate aroundthe burner envelope. This temperature point is dependent on thecomposition of the amalgam. The amalgam on the flag is designed tocapture a limited amount of mercury and release essentially all of itduring the start-up phase. The total amount of mercury released duringthe start-up phase will produce a vapor pressure less than what willfinally be achieved when the main amalgam reaches its operatingtemperature.

After the lamp is shut-down, it will cool, and the mercury vapor willcondense and settle on the walls of the burner, condense onto the flagsdisposed within the lamp, and/or migrate back to the main amalgam site,and the like. To optimize lamp performance it may be desirable tospecify different material compositions for the main amalgam and anyflags so as to optimize the relative mercury vapor pressures andfacilitate the condensation of the mercury onto the flags rather thanmigration back to the main amalgam site. This may be done by selecting amain amalgam composition such that it has a higher vapor pressure atroom temperature than the second or other amalgam that is initiallyformed on a flag. For instance, in one embodiment a flag may be formedof indium with the resulting condensed amalgam being one of indium andmercury, and with the corresponding main amalgam being one of bismuth,indium and mercury. In another embodiment the main amalgam may be one ofbismuth, tin, indium, and mercury.

In embodiments the flag substrate may be made of a material that doesnot form an amalgam with mercury, where this material is then coatedwith a material that will form an amalgam with mercury, such as indiumor the like. In embodiments this approach will keep the mercury near thesurface of the flag and thus make the mercury more available forvaporization. Flag substrate materials may include metals such as steel,iron, nickel, stainless steel, tantalum, molybdenum and the like. Flagsubstrate materials may include ceramics such as densely sinteredaluminum oxide (Al₃O₂) and the like, where the ceramic substrate may beplated with a material, such as tungsten or the like, prior to platingwith a material that will form an amalgam with mercury, such as indiumand the like.

Referring to FIG. 44, there is a preferred range of mercury pressure4402 at which the lamp emits an optimum level of light output. If themercury vapor pressure is below the preferred range 4404, too little UVenergy may be generated within the lamp and the luminous output of thelamp decreases. If the mercury vapor pressure is above the preferredrange 4408, more UV energy is generated, however, there may also be anincrease in radiation trapping where the generated photon is absorbed bythe mercury before it is able to interact with the phosphors, resultingin a decrease in luminous output of the lamp. The particular amalgamcomposition that results in mercury vapor pressure being in thepreferred range 4402 during steady state operation of the lamp varieswith a plurality of factors such as amalgam composition, operatingtemperature of the lamp and the amalgam, power consumption of the lamp,lamp geometry, color temperature of visible light generated fromconversion of UV energy by phosphors, and the like.

In an embodiment, a test may be performed to facilitate selection ofamalgam composition that will result in the mercury vapor pressure beingin the preferred range 4402 and optimize luminous output of the lamp.Referring to FIG. 45, the amalgam testing system 4500 generally includesa device to measure total light output of the lamp as a function of timesuch as an integrating sphere 4502, a way to rapidly cool a portion ofthe lamp such as a cooling spray applicator 4504 and cooling spray 4508.

Referring to FIG. 46, the amalgam composition selection process 4600describes a series of steps to evaluate the performance of a givenamalgam composition and compare results of different amalgamcompositions (step 4610). In some lamps, measurements of amalgamtemperature may be used to evaluate different amalgam compositions.However, in some embodiments, the amalgam location is positioned insidethe lamp envelope making thermal measurements difficult. The amalgamperformance measurement process 4612 generally includes positioning thelamp within an integrating sphere 4502 or other device for measuring thetotal light output of the lamp as a function of time (step 4602).Typically, the lamp is run for approximately an hour, achieving steadystate operation (step 4604), a cooling spray such as compressed gas,cooled compressed gas, and the like, is applied to a small portion ofthe lamp (step 4608). The application of the cooling spray (step 4608)acts as thermal perturbation to the lamp, rapidly cooling a portion ofthe lamp and condensing mercury vapor while leaving the main amalgamuncooled at steady state operating temperature.

In a non-limiting example, shown in the lamp output measurements 4700 ofFIG. 47, a lamp operating with a preferred range of mercury pressure4402 would exhibit an optimum light output 4702 having a high levelsteady state light output 4710 and decreasing monotonically with coolingof the bulb 4714 after the cooling spray is applied 4712. The lightoutput decreases as the mercury pressure decreases due to the mercuryvapor condensing on the cooling bulb. If the mercury vapor pressure isbelow the preferred range 4404 the lamp will exhibit a light output 4708with steady state light output 4710 reduced relative to that achieved atan optimum mercury pressure 4402 and decreasing monotonically withcooling of the bulb 4714 after the cooling spray is applied 4712. If themercury pressure is above the preferred range 4408 the lamp will exhibita light output 4704 with steady state light output 4710 reduced relativeto that achieved at an optimum mercury pressure 4402. Note that in thiscase, after the cooling spray is applied 4712, the light output mayincrease for a period of time as the mercury pressure decreases due tothe mercury condensing on the cooling bulb, moving into the preferredrange of mercury pressure 4402. But after further cooling of the bulb,the light output will drop as the mercury pressure continues to drop tobelow the preferred range 4404.

As part of the amalgam composition selection process 4600 measurementsmay be made for a series of lamps having different amalgam compositions.Based on the lamp output measurements 4700 it may be possible todetermine whether the amalgam should be adjusted so as to change themercury vapor pressure at steady state. If the light output curveexhibits an increase when the cooling spray is applied, the amalgamshould be altered to achieve a lower level of mercury vapor pressure,such as by decreasing the total amount of mercury in the amalgam,increasing the other metallic components of the amalgam such as indium,bismuth, tin and the like. If the light output curve does not exhibit anincrease when the cooling spray is applied, it is possible that themercury vapor pressure is too low. A sample with a higher mercury vaporpressure may be used as a discriminant between optimum mercury vaporpressure and suboptimal (too low) mercury vapor pressure. A sample witha higher mercury vapor pressure may be produced such as by increasingthe amount of mercury in the amalgam, decreasing the other metalliccomponents in the amalgam, and the like. If the sample with the highermercury vapor pressure exhibits higher luminous output at steady state,the amalgam composition is adjusted in that direction.

In an illustrative example, a set of lamps was built having differentamalgam compositions. Each lamp was A19 in geometry, operating atapproximately 14.4 Watts and having phosphors that resulted in visiblelight with a color temperature of approximately 2700K. The operatingtemperature of the lamp was in the range of 65 C-90 C and the amalgam,positioned above the re-entrant cavity was approximately in the range of100 C to 125 C. The three amalgam compositions shown in Table 1 weretested resulting in light output measurement curves similar to thoseshown in shown in FIG. 47.

TABLE 1 Composition of Various Amalgams % Indium % Mercury % OtherMetals Amalgam Composition A 33 3.5 63.5 Amalgam Composition B 37.5 3.359.2 Amalgam Composition C 36.1 3.3 60.6

The light output from the lamp with amalgam composition A exhibited acharacteristic shape 4704 representative of a lamp operating above thepreferred range of mercury vapor pressure 4408. The light output fromthe lamp with amalgam composition B exhibited a characteristic shape4708 representative of a lamp operating below the preferred range ofmercury vapor pressure 4404. The light output from the lamp with amalgamcomposition C exhibited a characteristic shape 4702 representative of alamp operating in the preferred range of mercury vapor pressure 4402.Additional amalgam compositions were tested and a range of amalgamcompositions resulting in mercury vapor pressure in the optimum range4402 identified. An A19 lamp, operating at approximately 14.4 Watts,having a color temperature of approximately 2700K and running about 65 Cto 90 C with the amalgam deployed in an ampoule at the top of theevacuation tube, has an optimum amalgam composition of approximately35.38%-36.82% Indium by weight, Mercury of 3.27%-3.33% by weight andother metals ranging from 59.39%-61.81% by weight.

Coupler

The coupler generates, the AC magnetic field that provides, throughmagnetic induction, the electric field that drives the discharge. Inaddition, the voltage across the coupler is used to start the dischargethrough capacitive coupling.

The AC magnetic field created by the coupler changes in both intensityand polarity at a high frequency, generally between 50 kHz and 50 GHz.In the preferred embodiment, the coupler is a multi-turn coil ofelectrically conductive wire that is connected to output of theinverter. The AC current produced by the inverter flows through the coiland creates an AC magnetic field at the frequency of the inverter. Thecoil can optionally be wound on a “soft” magnetic material such asferrite or iron powder that is chosen for its beneficial properties atthe frequency of the AC current. The ferrite material can be easilyformed into numerous shapes; such as a torus or a rod, or other shapes,depending upon the design of the burner, when in the so-called “greenstate,” before it is fired to form a hard ceramic. Iron powder can bepressed into similar shapes. In the preferred embodiment, the coupler isformed from a coil of copper wire wound on a rod-like ferrite tube. Theferrite is tubular in that it has a hole along the axis to allow passageof the exhaust tube of the burner. For the preferred embodiment, theoperating frequency is 1 to 10 MHz.

In another embodiment, the frequency is increased to the 10 MHz to 50MHz range and the ferrite tube is removed and optionally replaced by arod or tube made from a material that has a magnetic permeabilityessentially the same as that of free space, and an electricalconductivity of zero, or close to zero. One type of material thatsatisfies these conditions is plastic. Couplers wound on rods or tubesthat satisfy the stated conditions are called ‘air-core couplers’ or‘air-core coils’. An air-core coil can also be fabricated without theuse of any rod-like or tubular coil form if the wire is sufficientlystiff or if the wire is supported by an external structure. The use ofan air-core coil may enable the printing of the coupler windings on theair side of the re-entrant, or removal of the reentrant and placementthe air coil directly in the bulb with electrical feedthroughs to theoutside, and the like.

The burner is designed to provide a discharge path that encircles thetime-varying magnetic field. As is known from Faraday's Law ofInduction, a voltage will be induced in any closed path that encircles atime varying magnetic field. That voltage will have the same frequencyas the frequency of time-varying magnetic field. This is the voltagethat drives the induction-coupled discharge.

The ferrite material is chosen for low power loss at the frequency ofthe AC current and at the magnetic flux density and temperature where itis designed to operate.

The number of turns on the coupler is chosen to provide a good impedancematch for the inverter when connected through the matching network. Itis generally desirable to have a coupler composed of at least 5 turns ofwire to ensure efficient coupling to the discharge, while it is alsodesirable to have the turns form a single layer winding on the ferrite,if used, or form a single layer coil if an air core is used. Thesepractical considerations set desirable lower and upper limits on thenumber of turns of the coil.

Management and Control

In embodiments, the induction lamp may include processor-basedmanagement and control facilities, such as with a microcontroller, adigital processor, analog processing, embedded processor,microprocessor, digital logic, and the like, and implemented in anintegrated circuit, an application-specific integrated circuit, and thelike. The methods and systems described herein may be deployed in partor in whole through a machine that executes computer software, programcodes, and/or instructions on a processor, and implemented as a methodon the machine, as a system or apparatus as part of or in relation tothe machine, or as a computer program product embodied in a computerreadable medium executing on one or more of the machines. The processormay be at least in part implemented in conjunction with or incommunication with a server, client, network infrastructure (e.g. theInternet, WiFi network, local network of lamp nodes), mobile computingplatform, stationary computing platform, cellular network infrastructureand associated mobile devices (e.g. cellular phone), or other computingplatform.

Management and control facilities may receive inputs from externalswitches on the induction lamp, from IR/RF remote control inputs fromremote controllers, from a networked interface (e.g. a wireless networkinterface such as WiFi, wireless LAN, Bluetooth, HomeRF, cellular, mesh,and the like, or wired network interface such as through existing homewiring e.g. IEEE Powerline), and the like. For instance, an embeddedcontroller may receive settings via switches mounted on the lowerportion of the induction lamp, such as for color control, lumen outputcontrol, power savings modes, dimmer compatibility, and the like. In anexample, there may be a switch setting to enable-disable dimmingfunctionality, such as to provide a power savings as the result ofdisabling a dimming functionality. In another instance, a remote controlor networked control interface may be used to control functions of theinduction lamp, such as power management, light characteristicssettings, dimming control, on-off control, networked control settings,timer functions, and the like. In an example, the induction lamp may becontrolled through an RF remote control of the known art where theinduction lamp includes an RF receiver interfaced to an embeddedprocessor, where the RF remote controller controls lighting levels, suchas on-off and dimming control. In another instance, a first inductionlamp may be commanded directly by a remote controller (e.g. RF/IR remotecontrol, networked controller, an embedded controller in conjunctionwith another networked lamp node with a network of lamps), where thefirst induction lamp also acts as a repeater by sending the command onto at least one of a plurality of other induction lamps. In an example,a plurality of induction lamps may be controlled with a single remotecontrol command, where induction lamps within range of the remotecontroller respond to the direct command, and where induction lamps notwithin direct range of the remote controller (such as because ofdistance, obstructions, and the like) are commanded by commands beingrepeated by induction lamps that had received the command (such as byany induction lamp repeating the command when received). In embodiments,the processor-based management and control facilities may provide for acontrol function, such as associated with the operation of theelectronic ballast, comprising at least one of control of a startupcondition, control of an operating mode, control of a dimming function,control of a color temperature, control of a user interface, control ofa remote control interface, control of a network interface, control of athermal management function, and the like.

Management and control facilities may include a processor-basedalgorithm that provides at least partial autonomous management andcontrol from parameters determined internal to the induction lamp, suchas for color control, lumen output control, power management, and thelike. For instance, lumen output control may be implemented at least inpart by a processor-based algorithm where inputs to the processor mayinclude feedback signals from the inverter output, and where inputs fromthe processor include control signals as an input to the inverter. Inthis way, the processor-based algorithm may at least in part replaceanalog feedback functionality, such as to provide greater control of thelumen output through internal algorithms utilizing data table mappingsof inverter output current vs. luminous output, and the like. Thealgorithm may also accept control via commands to the induction lamp,such as from a switch setting, a remote control input, a commandreceived from another induction lamp, and the like.

In embodiments, the processor-based management and control facilitiesmay enable a more compact layout of the ballast electronics. Forinstance, the electronic ballast may be laid out utilizing a controlprocessor in place of discrete components to aid in the ability of theinduction RF fluorescent lamp to fit within the exterior dimensionssimilar to that of an ordinary incandescent bulb, as discussed herein.In an example, the electronic ballast may be contained within a taperingportion of the induction RF fluorescent lamp that tapers from a bulbousvitreous portion to the screw base such that the bulbous vitreousportion, the tapering portion, and the screw base taken together provideexterior dimensions similar to that of an ordinary incandescent bulb(e.g. at least one of a member of an A-series, BR-series, PAR-serieslamps).

Thermal

In embodiments, the induction lamp may manage thermal dissipation withinthe structure, such as through a dynamic power management facilityutilizing a processor-based control algorithm, through a closed-loopthermal control system, through thermal-mechanical structures, and thelike. Indicators of thermal dissipation, such as temperature, current,and the like, may be monitored and adjusted to maintain a balance ofpower dissipated within the induction lamp such as to meet predeterminedthermal requirements, including for maximizing the life of componentswithin the induction lamp, maintaining safe levels of power dissipationfor components and/or the system, maximizing energy efficiency of thesystem, adjusting system parameters for changes in the thermal profileof the system over a dimming range, and the like. In an example, powerdissipation across a dimming range may create varying power dissipationin the system, and the dynamic power management facility may adjustpower being dissipated by the ballast in order to maintain a maximumpower requirement. In another example, maximum power dissipation for thesystem or components of the system may be maintained in order tomaintain a life requirement for the system or components, such as fortemperature sensitive components.

Thermal management facilities may be utilized to help manage the thermalenvironment of the induction lamp. For example, electrical componentsmay often be mounted in such a way that the electrical components arelocated against a printed circuit board (PCB). Positioning electricalcomponents, such as FETs, in this way may result in reduced mechanicalstress on the electrical component and on the electrical/mechanicalconnections between the electrical component and the PCB. Also, theelectrical component may be lying in such a position that a heat pad onthe electrical component, if present, is touching the PCB. In this way,the PCB may act as a heat spreader for the electrical component. The PCBmay be designed in such a way that thermal management features such asmetal pads (e.g. made of copper), thermal vias to move heat to the otherside of the board, radiation structures (e.g., vanes or fins), and thelike, are incorporated into the PCB during manufacturing of the board,to enhance the spreading of heat away from the electrical componentthrough the thermal facility of the PCB.

Referring to FIG. 35, in embodiments, one or more of the lamp'selectrical components 3504, such as the field effect transistors (FETs)may be mounted upright relative to the PCB 3502 to conserve space andachieve a desired form factor. However, when the one or more electricalcomponents 3504 is mounted in an upright orientation relative to the PCB3502, the PCB 3502 is less effective as a way to dissipate a portion ofthe heat generated by the one or more electrical components 3504. Thus,it may be desirable to provide other ways to dissipate the heatgenerated by the one or more electrical components 3504. In embodiments,the one or more vertically mounted electrical components 3504 may bemounted along the edge of the PCB 3502. Referring to FIGS. 36-37, a heatspreader 3602 may be used to dissipate the majority of the heatgenerated by the one or more vertically mounted electrical components3504. The heat spreader 3602 may be shaped such that its perimeterapproximates the perimeter of the PCB 3502 and has standoffs 3604 suchthat the heat spreader 3602 may be positioned above the PCB 3502,allowing thermal contact to be made between the heat spreader 3602 and aheat pad 3702 located on the back of the one or more vertically mountedelectrical component 3504. The heat spreader 3602 may include cutouts3608 of different forms and shapes such as holes, squares, reducedheights, and the like, as needed to allow for the passage of wires andthe like and to provide clearance relative to other components. The heatspreader 3602 may be a closed shape or open with a slit or break 3610.The embodiment with a slit may present manufacturability advantages. Theheat spreader 3602 may be circular or may have partially flattened orlinear sections 3704 to facilitate good thermal contact between the heatspreader 3602 and a thermal pad 3702 on the one or more verticallymounted electrical components 3504. The heat spreader 3602 may be madeof a thermally conductive material such as copper, aluminum, and thelike. Although a single heat spreader 3602 has been described, there maybe more than one heat spreader 3602 with smaller heat spreadersassociated with individual electrical components 3504 contemplated.

Referring to FIGS. 38-39, there may be a clip 3802 to facilitate thermalcontact 3702 between the heat spreader 3602 and the at least onevertically mounted electrical component 3504 while minimizing mechanicalstress on the at least one vertically mounted electrical component 3504.The clip 3802 may be solid or have cut-outs to facilitate aircirculation and reduce weight. In some cases, such as where there is aheat spreader associated with an individual electrical component 3504,the heat spreader may be attached directly to the electrical componentusing a thermal conductive material such as solder or the like. In someembodiments, the heat spreader, rather than being a stand alone bandaround the PCB, may be a copper or aluminum strip along the inside ofthe lamp housing.

In some embodiments, electrical components 3504 and heat spreader 3602may be totally or partially embedded in a potting compound. While theuse of a potting compound is known in the art, the selection of pottingmaterial to have increased thermal conductivity is not common. The useof a potting compound having increased thermal conductivity may providefor improved dissipation of the heat generated by the electricalcomponents 3504 during lamp operation. The PCB 3502, electricalcomponents 3504 and heat spreader 3602 may be potted together or variouscombinations of electrical components 3504 and heat spreaders 3602 maybe potted individually.

In a non-limiting experiment, a series of lamps were built where two ofthe electrical components 3504, FETs, were mounted in an uprightposition and placed in thermal contact with a heat spreader 3602. Theelectrical components 3504 and heat spreader 3602 were then potted andmeasurements were made of the temperature of various electricalcomponents. As seen in Table 1, increasing the thermal conductivity (k)for the potting compound resulted in a reduction in the temperature ofthe various electrical components. Reducing the operating temperaturefor these electrical components results in increased component life.

TABLE 1 Component Temperatures for Potting Materials with VariousThermal Conductivities Material Potting Potting Potting ThermalConductivity Material 1 Material 2 Material 3 (W/mK) (k = 0.7) (k = 1)(k = 1.44) Component Temperature (° C.) Coupler 208 207 188 Toroid 124116 111 RF Board 115 107 103 Heat Sink 107 102 97 Capacitor 92 90 85

Electrical and Mechanical Connection

In embodiments, the electrical-mechanical connection of the inductionlamp may be standard, such as the standard for incandescent lamps ingeneral lighting, including an Edison screw in candelabra, intermediate,standard or mogul sizes, or double contact bayonet base, or otherstandards for lamp bases included in ANSI standard C81.67 and IECstandard 60061-1 for common commercial lamps. This mechanicalcommonality enables the induction lamp to be used as a replacement forincandescent bulbs. The induction lamp may operate at AC mainscompatible with any of the global standards, such as 120V 60 Hz, 240V 50Hz, and the like. In embodiments, the induction lamp may be alterable tobe compatible with a plurality of standard AC mains standards, such asthrough an external switch setting, through an automatic voltage and/orfrequency sensing, and the like, where automatic sensing may be enabledthrough any analog or digital means known to the art.

Dimming: Improved Dimming Circuits

Phase controlled TRIAC dimmers are commonly used for dimmingincandescent lamps. A TRIAC is a bidirectional gate controlled switchthat may be incorporated in a wall dimmer. A typical dimmer circuit withan incandescent lamp is shown in FIG. 2, where the TRIAC turns “on”every half of the AC period. The turn “on” angle is determined by theposition of the dimmer potentiometer and can vary in range from 0 to 180degrees in the AC period. Typically the lighting dimmer is combined witha wall switch. An incandescent lamp is an ideal load for a TRIAC. Itprovides a sufficient latching and holding current for a stable turn“on” state. The TRIAC returns to its “off” state when the current dropsbelow a specific “holding” current. This typically occurs slightlybefore the AC voltage zero crossing. But wall dimmers do not operateproperly with most normal single stage ballasts.

Besides holding and trigger currents, the TRIAC should be provided withlatching current, that is a sufficient turn “on” current lasting atleast 20-30 usec for latching the TRIAC's internal structure in a stable“on” state. A ballast circuit may have an RC series circuit connectedacross the ballast AC terminals to accommodate the TRIAC. But steadypower losses in the resistor could be significant. Other references havesimilar principles of operation, such as based on drawing high frequencypower from the bridge rectifier.

Other previous work discloses a TRIAC dimmable electrodeless lampwithout an electrolytic storage capacitor. In this case the ballastinverter input current is actually a holding current of the TRIAC and ishigh enough to accommodate any dimmer. The lamp ballast is built asself-oscillating inverter operating at 2.5 MHz. An example block diagramof a dimmable ballast is shown in FIG. 3. It comprises an EMI filter Fconnected in series with AC terminals, a Bridge Rectifier providing highripple DC voltage to power a DC-to-AC resonant inverter, and a ResonantTank loaded preferably by inductively coupled Lamp. The ballast inverteris preferably self-oscillating inverter operating in high frequencyrange (2.5-3.0 MHz). A TRIAC dimmer is connected in front of the ballastproviding phase-cut control of the input AC voltage.

Related art teaches operation from a rectified AC line live voltage thatvaries from almost zero volts to about 160-170V peak. A self-oscillatinginverter may start at some instant DC bus voltage, such as between 80Vand 160V, but it will stop oscillating at lower voltage (usually in arange between 20V and 30V). FIG. 4 illustrates a related art dimmingmethod where Vm 402 is a voltage waveform after the TRIAC dimmer. Thisvoltage is rectified and applied to the input of the inverter. Withoutan electrolytic storage capacitor, the ballast inverter (not shown inFIG. 4) stops its operation during the TRIAC “off” intervals.Accordingly, the electrical discharge in the lamp burner stops andstarts, such as illustrated in lamp current I_(LAMP) 404 in FIG. 4.

Other related art discloses a TRIAC dimmed electronic ballast thatutilizes a charge pump concept for an inductively coupled lamp. Thismethod requires injecting RF power from the inverter into the full wavebridge rectifier used to convert the 60 Hz AC power into DC power.Accordingly, the 60 Hz bridge rectifier must be constructed using diodesthat are rated for the full power line voltage and ballast inputcurrent, and are also fast enough to switch at the inverter frequencywithout excessive power loss.

Therefore, there may be embodiments for operating high frequencyelectrodeless lamps powered from TRIAC-based dimmers that reduce oreliminate the capacitor(s).

In accordance with an exemplary and non-limiting embodiment, a methodfor dimming a gas discharge lamp with a TRIAC-based wall dimmer isprovided. The method may provide uninterruptible operation of the lampand the ballast during TRIAC dimming. The method may include poweringthe ballast without an electrolytic smoothing capacitor, directly fromthe rectified AC voltage that is chopped by the TRIAC dimmer, andsupporting lamp operation during the off time of the TRIAC, such as witha smoothing electrolytic capacitor-less D.C. bus. Implementation of themethod may include additional features comprising charging a small lowvoltage capacitor from the DC bus via a DC-to-DC step down currentlimiting converter during the TRIAC “on” intervals and discharging thiscapacitor directly to the DC bus during TRIAC “off” intervals, formaintaining uninterruptable current in the gas discharge lamp.

In another aspect, the invention may feature a DC current charge circuitfor charging a low voltage capacitor. In one of disclosure embodimentsthe charger may be built as charge pump connected to the output of theballast resonant inverter.

In the other aspect, for dimming of inductively coupled lamps, theinvention may feature a secondary series resonant tank for stepping downthe DC bus voltage for charging a low voltage capacitor. The secondaryresonant tank may be coupled to the switching transistors of the ballastresonant inverter.

FIG. 5 shows block-circuit diagram of an electronic ballast connected toa TRIAC dimmer 502. The dimmer 502 may be for instance, a wall dimmeraimed for controlling incandescent lamps. The electronic ballast mayfeature a front-end power supply without a traditional smoothingcapacitor, such as with a smoothing electrolytic capacitor-less D.C.bus. It may comprise an EMI filter 504, a Bridge Rectifier 508, a highfrequency Inverter 512 (e.g. a 2.5 MHz inverter), and resonant load thatincludes Matching Network 514 and electrodeless Lamp 518. In accordancewith exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, the high frequency invertermay be selected to operate at a very wide frequency range such as tensof KHz to many hundreds of MHz. The Matching Network 514 may utilize acircuit having resonant inductor LR 520 and resonant capacitor CR 522with the Lamp 518 connected in parallel with the resonant capacitor CR522. An auxiliary low voltage (40-50V) DC power supply 510 may beconnected to the DC bus 524 of the inverter via a backup diode D 528 forfilling in rectified voltage valleys. The power supply 510 may be builtas a DC-to-DC step down converter powered from the DC bus 524. Theauxiliary DC power supply 510 may comprise a small low voltage storagecapacitor (which may be electrolytic or tantalum type) for maintaininguninterruptable low power lamp operation during the TRIAC “off” timeintervals. The R-C network 530 may be connected across the diode D 528for providing latching current pulse of very short duration (20-40 usec)to the TRIAC after its triggering. By having a low voltage power supply510 (40-50V or even lower), a wider dimming range may be achieved.

In FIG. 6, dimming operation of the lamp and ballast of FIG. 5 isillustrated by showing wave forms of the DC bus voltage V_(BUS) 602,Lamp voltage V_(L) 604, Lamp current I_(L) 608, and auxiliary powersupply current I_(AUX) 610. In comparison with the prior art methoddemonstrated in FIG. 3, the lamp current continues during the TRIAC“off” intervals, so that the ballast and the lamp do not need torestart. To keep the Lamp “on” at minimum current only 15-20% of nominallamp power may be needed. This power may be obtained from an external orinternal DC source.

In accordance with exemplary and non-limiting embodiments a method for adimming gas discharge lamp powered by an electronic ballast with afront-end power supply without an electrolytic smoothing capacitor isprovided. Said method may feature uninterruptible lamp operation andcomprises steps of charging a low voltage storage capacitor during theTRIAC “on” time intervals and discharging said low voltage storagecapacitor to the DC bus during the TRIAC “off” time intervals. Since thelow voltage storage capacitor for supporting lamp operation must storeonly a small amount of energy, its overall size may be substantiallyless than the size of a storage capacitor in the prior art dimmedballasts with boosting voltage charge pumps. Since auxiliary voltageV_(AUX) may not exceed 50V, a miniature tantalum capacitor may be usedin the ballast.

In accordance with exemplary and non-limiting embodiments an electronicballast is provided without an electrolytic DC bus smoothing capacitor.FIG. 7 illustrates a block-circuit diagram in an embodiment of thedisclosure, preferably for RF electronic ballasts. It may comprise aballast connected to a TRIAC dimmer (not shown). The ballast front-endpower supply may comprise an EMI filter 702 and a bridge rectifier 704.There may not be a traditional electrolytic capacitor connected inparallel to the output of the bridge rectifier 704. A self-oscillatinginverter 708 may be built with a half bridge topology but other relevantinverter topologies may also be used. The inverter 708 may comprise apair of series MOSFET switching transistors Q1 710 and Q2 712, connectedacross DC bus 714, a capacitive divider with capacitors C1 718 and C2720 across the DC bus 714, parallel loaded matching network 722 having afirst series resonant inductor LR1 724 and a first resonant capacitorCR1 728. Inductively coupled Lamp 730 may be connected in parallel tothe first resonant capacitor CR1 728. The combination of the matchingnetwork and the inductance of the lamp coupler forms a first resonantcircuit. Transistors Q1 710 and Q2 712 may be driven by a drive circuit732 coupled to the inverter 708 via a positive feedback 734 circuit (notshown), for self-excitation of the inverter 708.

In accordance with exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, FIG. 7 showsthe auxiliary power supply combined with the inverter power stages,comprising the transistors Q1 710 and Q2 712. The inverter 708 mayinclude a low voltage storage capacitor C_(ST) 738 having a positiveterminal connected to DC bus 714 via a backup diode D 750 and a negativeterminal connected to DC bus negative terminal. The inverter 708 mayalso feature a second, series loaded, current limiting resonant tank 740comprising a second resonant inductor LR2 742 and a second resonantcapacitor CR2 744. A secondary high frequency rectifier having diodes D1752 and D2 754 may be connected in series with the indictor LR2 742 andcapacitor CR2 744. Rectified current charges the storage capacitorC_(ST) 738. A ceramic bypass capacitor (not shown) may be connected inparallel to the storage capacitor C_(ST) 738 for RF application. Thepower of the second resonant circuit may be much less than the firstone, so that a tiny Schottky diode array, for instance, BAS70-04 may beused for 752 and 754 in the secondary rectifier circuit. An RC-network748 may be connected across the diode 750 for conditioning the externalTRIAC dimmer. In the ballast of FIG. 7, the storage capacitor C_(ST) 738may have much less energy storage than a traditional DC bus high voltagecapacitor, where its rated voltage may be about 50V. The low voltagestorage capacitor C_(ST) 738 may have much smaller dimensions than thetraditional high voltage DC bus capacitor in prior art ballasts.

In accordance with exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, FIG. 8demonstrates another low cost configuration. This embodiment differsfrom that presented in FIG. 7 by the way in which the storage capacitorC_(ST) 738 is charged. In the inverter 708 of FIG. 8 C_(ST) 738 ischarged by a charge pump from the inverter output. A series capacitor Cp802 is connected between the inverter high voltage terminal LH 808 andthe diode configuration of D1 752 and D2 754. Charge current isdetermined by value of capacitor Cp 802. A bypass capacitor C_(B) 804may be connected across the storage capacitor C_(ST) 738.

Comparatively, the arrangement in FIG. 8 may provide faster low voltagecapacitor C_(ST) 738 charging during lamp starting. But it may slow downthe starting process of an electrodeless lamp by taking power from thelamp and returning said power to the inverter input. Also, this powerfeedback may cause system stability problems during steady-state systemoperation because of the negative incremental impedance of the lamp.

The additional component LR2 742 in FIG. 7 may provide full decouplingfrom resonant load and the lamp. It may provide reliable starting andhigh efficiency due to the step down feature of the series loadconnection. To help guarantee Zero Voltage Switching (ZVS), the secondresonant tank should operate in inductive mode, such as whenωLR2>1/ωCR2. In an example, for a 20 W electrodeless lamp operating at2.75 MHz, the values of secondary resonant circuit components may be thefollowing: LR2=150 uH, CR2=18 pF; Schottky diode array BAS70-04,electrolytic capacitor C_(ST)=22 uF, 50V. A bypass capacitor 0.1 uF isconnected across the electrolytic capacitor C_(ST).

The lamp may be dimmed because of a variation of the RMS voltage appliedto the lamp, with a condition that the minimum required lamp current issustained. Some minimum DC bus voltage should be provided to ensurecontinuous ballast and lamp operation. During TRIAC dimming both theTRIAC formed voltage and the DC backup voltage may vary and cause lampdimming. The lower the minimum backup voltage the wider the dimmingrange. This minimum voltage depends on many factors determined by thelamp and ballast or combination of both characteristics. For a 2.5 MHzelectrodeless lamp the minimum operation voltage for continuation ofburning may be about 38-40V at 20° C. ambient temperature.

FIG. 9 shows actual oscillograms taken from operation of a 20 W, 2.75MHz electrodeless lamp using a ballast with the preferred embodiment,when powered with a TRIAC dimmer. Ch2 904 shows the TRIAC dimmer outputvoltage, Ch1 902 shows lamp voltage, and Ch3 908 shows lamp current. Thebackup DC voltage is about 45V. As can be seen the lamp and ballastoperate continuously with the TRIAC dimmer. In this example, the lamp isdimmed to 60%.

At low bus voltage, lamp voltage (Ch1) is increased, since the gasdischarge is characterized by negative impedance. Inductively coupledlamps are distinguished by a significant leakage inductance. That is whylamp voltage increases correspondingly with lamp current (Ch3).

Dimming: Burst Mode Dimming

Burst mode dimming is a method to control the power delivered to theburner, and the light generated by the burner that uses periodicinterruptions of the high frequency signal delivered to the coupler fromthe ballast.

One way to control the power delivered to the burner and hence controlthe light output of the burner, is to turn the high frequency currentdelivered by the ballast to the coupler, I_(C), on and off on a periodicbasis at a rate that is much lower than the frequency of the highfrequency current itself. That is, if the high frequency current has afrequency of f_(O) (e.g., in the 1 MHz to 50 MHz region) and the rate ofthe periodic signal is f_(M), then f_(M) would be much lower than f_(O).In embodiments, f_(M) may be less than one-tenth of f_(O) in order tobetter ensure that the resulting dimming would not produce perceptibleflickering.

In embodiments, the dimming signal may be synchronized to the lampcurrent waveform, so that lamp drive current is always provided in fullhalf-cycles of the lamp operating frequency. This is intended to reducethe generation of RF energy at frequencies other than the lamp operatingfrequency, since such energy could interfere with RF communicationdevices operating at frequencies other than the operating frequency ofthe lamp. Further, the drive current I_(C) may be a sinusoidal, or nearsinusoidal, drive current.

The time duration of each On period and each Off period of I_(C) will beless than 1/f_(M), and the sum of the time duration of the On period andthe time duration of the Off period will equal 1/f_(M). Since f_(M) ismuch lower than f₀, each On period of I_(C) will ideally have more than10 cycles of I_(C).

In some embodiments it may be desirable that the Off period time ofI_(C) be shorter than the time required for the electron density of thedischarge to substantially decrease. For the exemplar induction coupledlamp, this time is believed to be about 1 msec.

In other embodiments it may be desirable that the Off period time ofI_(C) be longer than the time required for the electron density of thedischarge to substantially decrease. For the exemplar induction coupledlamp, this time is believed to be about 1 msec.

In some embodiments it may be desirable that f_(M) be higher than 20kHz, so that the circuits used to generate this signal do not createaudible noise, while in other embodiments it may be desirable that f_(M)be lower than 20 kHz so that the Off period time duration of I_(C) canbe longer than the time required for the electron density tosubstantially decrease.

For example, if f_(M) is set to 25 kHz the Off time will always be lessthan 0.04 msec. In addition, if f_(M) is set to 25 kHz, and the On timeis set to 1% of the time rate of the modulation frequency, 1/25 kHz, theOn time will be 0.4 μsec, and this time period will contain 10 cycles ofIC when f₀ is 25 MHz. In this manner periodic bursts of current at afrequency of f₀ and controllable duration can be applied to the coilthat is driving the lamp or discharge.

This power control method may be used to reduce the power delivered tothe lamp when less light is required and less power consumption isdesired. This is known in the art as dimming.

The dimming function can be controlled by a circuit that senses thefiring angle of a TRIAC-based phase cut dimmer installed in the powersupply for the lamp, or it may be controlled by a control means mountedon the lamp itself, or by radio waves or by infrared control, or anyother suitable means.

The power control method can also be used to provide accurate operationof the lamp without the use of precision components in the highfrequency oscillator. The circuit could be designed to produce somewhatmore than the rated power of the lamp, and then the burst mode powercontrol could be used to reduce the power to the rated value.

The power control could also be used to provide shorter run-up times formercury-based lamps. When used in this manner, the circuit providingI_(C) would be designed to produce 20% to 50% more current thannecessary for steady state operation. When the lamp is cold and themercury vapor pressure is low, the extra current would provide morelight and facilitate faster heating of the mercury, which would, inturn, provide a faster rise in mercury vapor pressure from its value atroom temperature toward the optimum mercury vapor pressure, which occursat temperatures higher than 20° C. As the lamp warms up to its normaloperating temperature, the power control would reduce the powergradually to its normal value. The lamp would not overheat when operatedat higher than normal power to implement this feature because the higherpower would be applied only when the lamp is at a temperature lower thanits normal operating temperature.

TRIAC Holding and Trigger Current: Pass-Through Current

It is desirable for all types of lighting, especially screw-in lightbulbs, to be compatible with TRIAC-based phase cut dimmers due to thelow cost and ubiquitous presence of these dimmers in lightinginstallations. These dimmers are wired in series with the AC linevoltage and the lighting load. Accordingly, any current drawn by thedimmer circuit needs to pass through the load. In particular, thesedimmers include a timing circuit in which the applied line voltagecharges a capacitor through a variable resistor. Each half-cycle of theline frequency, the capacitor is charged up to a threshold voltage atwhich a semiconductor break-over device (typically a 32 volt DIAC),conducts a pulse of trigger current into the gate terminal of the TRIACto put the TRIAC into a conductive state.

A resistive load like an incandescent light bulb naturally conducts thecurrent required by the timing circuit for triggering the TRIAC into theon-state. In contrast, electronic circuits, such as used withfluorescent lamps, may not conduct current at low input line voltages.Typically, they include an energy storage capacitor to hold up thesupply voltage for the load continuously throughout the line cycle. Inthe case of a fluorescent ballast, this energy storage capacitortypically supplies an inverter circuit that converts the DC voltage onthe storage capacitor to an AC current for powering the fluorescentlamp. When the instantaneous line voltage is low, the rectifier or othercircuit that charges the energy storage capacitance will not drawcurrent from the line. Even without an energy storage capacitor, therewill be a minimum voltage required for the inverter or other electroniccircuit to operate.

In addition to the timing circuit of the dimmer, some dimmers maycontain one or more indicator LED's or other electronics that requirethe load to pass current for proper operation.

A resistor placed across the input of the electronic ballast might drawthe required pass-through current prior to the dimmer TRIAC switching tothe on-state; however, the full line voltage would be applied to thisresistor while the TRIAC is on, therefore dissipating too much power andgenerating too much heat for this to be a practical solution.

In embodiments, a circuit may be provided with a resistor load that isswitched relative to at least one threshold level. For instance, theresistor load may be switched on when the applied line voltage fallsbelow a relatively low threshold, and off when the applied line voltageexceeds the threshold. In this way, a load is presented to the TRIAC toprovide the required pass-through current when the voltage is low (e.g.,when the ballast is in a state that does not provide a sufficient pathfor such current), and removes the resistor load when the voltage ishigh, thus eliminating the power dissipated in the resistor at a timewhen the resistor is not needed to provide pass-through current. Inanother instance, there may be multiple threshold levels, such as toprovide hysteresis for rising verses falling voltage levels. Inembodiments, rather than completely switching out the resistor duringthe entire time the line voltage is high, the resistor may be switchedin and out as a pulsed current load, thus providing a way to modulatethe load resistor's effect. For example, the resistor may be switched(e.g., by way of a transistor circuit) at a 100% duty cycle when theline voltage is below the set threshold, and at a reduced duty cycle,such as a 10% duty cycle, when the line voltage is above the setthreshold.

Referring to FIG. 10, an example circuit is illustrated where thethreshold is set for 10 volts. V1 represents the input line voltagepresented by the dimmer. Q1 and Q2 form a Darlington transistor pair forswitching load resistor R1, and these transistors must be rated about200V or higher for a 120VAC line. Resistor R2 provides base drive to Q2.With a net current gain (beta) value of at least 500, Q2 will, forexample conduct approximately 15 mA (pass-through/trigger current) with6V on the input line. When the input voltage exceeds approximately 10V,resistors R3 and R4, bias Q3 into the active region where it conductsenough current to cut off the base drive to Q1/Q2.

The value of R1 is selected here such that, even if the maximum of 10volts were applied to the circuit continuously, power dissipation wouldbe only about ¼ watt. Normally, the power dissipation would be much lessthan this because the series resistance in the dimmer is normally 10kiliohms or larger, resulting in less than 3.5% of the line voltageappearing across the pass-through circuit, and once the TRIAC istriggered, the applied voltage would exceed the 10 volt threshold,thereby blocking current flow in the load resistor R1.

Besides varying resistor values and resulting threshold voltages, otherembodiments of this invention, may replace the combination of Q1/Q2 witha switch such as a MOSFET (with a zener diode to protect its gate), orunder some conditions, a single bipolar transistor may providesufficient gain. Q3 can also be implemented by some other switch or itsfunction may be incorporated into an integrated circuit.

This discrete circuit can operate with very low voltages across theballast input and begin to draw current when the supply voltage exceedsa small threshold voltage, approximately 1.2V in the embodiment of FIG.10. This feature allows the circuit to operate when the TRIAC is off,giving smoother operation during startup and at very low dimmer settingswhere the TRIAC does not turn on. An LED on the dimmer, for example,could still be lit by this pass-through circuit at such low dimmersettings.

The load resistor will not be connected all the time, eithercontinuously or pulsed, while the resistor in this invention will bedisconnected when the voltage is higher than the set point.

Other Dimming, TRIAC Holding, and Trigger Current Circuits:

Other circuits and/or components associated with dimming, TRIAC holding,and trigger current may provide benefits, such as a charge pump, avoltage boost, an AC load capacitance, a constant current load, acircuit for limiting electrolytic capacitor current with a currentsource, a circuit for providing frequency dimming, a circuit forproviding amplitude dimming, a shutdown circuit, and the like. Forinstance, the induction lamp may be dimmed through a plurality ofmethods, such in embodiments described herein. Each method hasadvantages and disadvantages that depend on the embodiments implementedin the induction lamp, such as load characteristics, ballast circuitcharacteristics, and the like. For example, as an alternative to otherdimming methods described herein, shifting the frequency operating pointat which the electric ballast operates may reduce the load current, andthus dim the induction lamp. This is referred to as frequency dimming.Another embodiment includes a method of reducing the power levelprovided to the load, such as by reducing the supply voltage, which thenreduces the load current, thus providing a dimming of the inductionlamp. This is referred to as amplitude dimming. Selection of a dimmingmethod may also include combinations of these methods, as well as withthe various methods described herein.

EMI

The issue of electromagnetic interference (EMI) inflicted by anyindustrial and consumer product utilizing RF power is the subject ofstrict domestic and international regulations. According to theseregulations, the EMI level emanating from RF light sources must notexceed some threshold value that may interfere with operation ofsurrounding electronic devices, communication, remote control gadgets,medical equipment and life supporting electronics. The permitted EMIlevel for consumer lighting devices is relaxed at frequencies from 2.51MHz to 3.0 MHz, but the increase in allowable EMI is limited and EMIstill has to be addressed to comply with the regulations.

EMI generated by the electronics, such as from the ballast of theinduction lamp, may be mitigated through the use of shielding around theelectronics, such as with a solid or mesh conductor surrounding theelectronics (e.g. the ballast electronics), around the electronicscompartment, around the interface between the power coupler and theelectronics, and the like, thus creating a Faraday cage around theelectronics and keeping electromagnetic radiation from emanating fromthe electronics portion of the induction lamp. A very thin conductivefoil may be selected because of resulting savings in weight and/or costof materials. This thin foil may be in contact with or supported by anon-conductive material to help maintain dimensional integrity of thethin conductive foil. A mesh may be selected rather than a solid becauseof the resulting savings in weight and/or cost of materials, increasedflexibility in accommodating the packaging of the electronics, and thelike. When a mesh is selected, any holes of the mesh are made to besignificantly smaller than the wavelength of the radiation. To beeffective, holes resulting from connections of the shield to theelectronics enclosure and connectors may also need to be made smallerthan the wavelength of the radiation, whether a solid or mesh conductoris utilized. The holes in the mesh may allow for the passage of wiresbetween the power coupler and the electronics. Thus EMI from theelectronics portion of the induction lamp may be contained. EMI sourcedfrom the power coupler may require other means as described herein.

The conductive EMI of an RF light source (also referred herein as an RFlamp or lamp) is originated by the lamp RF potential V_(p) on the lampsurface inducing an RF current I_(g) to the ac line as displacement RFcurrent through the lamp capacitance C to free space (Earth ground)according to the expression:

I _(g) =V _(p)2πfC

where: V_(p) is the lamp surface RF potential, and f is the lamp drivingfrequency. The lamp capacitance can be evaluated in the Gaussian systemas equal to the lamp effective radius R, C=R in cm or in the SI systemas 1.11 R in pF. For an RF lamp size of A19 this capacitance isestimated as about 4 pF; that results in V_(p)=1 V corresponding toexisting regulation limit at 2.65 MHz.

The value of the lamp RF potential V_(p) is defined by capacitivecoupling between the RF carrying conductors (mainly the winding of thelamp coupler and associated wire leads) and the discharge plasma in thelamp envelope on the opposite side of re-entrant cavity from thathousing the lamp coupler.

The EMI compliance is especially problematic for integrated,self-ballasted compact RF lamps. The requirements for these compact RFlamps are much stronger, since they are connected to ac line directlythrough a lamp socket and have no special dedicated connection to earthground, as is the case for powerful RF lamps having remote groundedballasts.

One effective way to reduce the RF lamp potential is to use a bifilarcoupler winding consisting of two equal length wire windings wound inparallel, and having their grounded ends on the opposite sides of thecoupler.

The essence of this technique is the RF balancing of the coupler withtwo non-grounded wires on the coupler ends having equal RF potential butopposite phase. Such balancing of the coupler provides compensation bymeans of opposite phase voltages induced on the re-entrant cavitysurface, and thus, on the plasma and the lamp surface.

Although this technique for reduction of conductive EMI hassignificantly reduced the lamp RF voltage and has been implemented inmany commercial RF induction lamps, it appeared that is not enough tocomply with the regulation. Some additional means are needed to fartherreduce the EMI level to pass the regulations.

In embodiments, a pair of closely spaced, parallel windings may bebifilarly wound on the core of the coupler. As described herein, thefirst winding may be an active (or driven) winding 1120, and as such,connected to the ballast 1136 with its RF end 1126 and its grounded end1130. RF current in the first active winding creates an RF magneticfield in the core that in turn induces the time-varying electric fieldthat maintains the discharge plasma in the lamp burner.

The second winding may be a passive winding 1122, having the function ofdeveloping the opposite (in reference to the first winding 1120) phasevoltage on the coupler 110, (thereby reducing the lamp conductive EMI).The passive winding 1122 may be connected to the ballast 1136 with itsgrounded end wire 1132, leaving its other end free.

In embodiments, the individual turns of the bifilar winding may bepositioned with space between the individual turns. In embodiments, thebifilar coupler winding may be wound such that the first and secondwindings are wound in close proximity to one another.

In one of the embodiments, the turns of wire on the coupler are evenlyspaced. Spacing distance is chosen to achieve desired inductance and mixof combined magnetic field 4002 effect as shown in FIG. 40 relative tomagnetic field effect around individual wires. In an exemplaryembodiment, the even spacing of the turns of wire on the coupler core isachieved by winding three wires in parallel on the coupler core asshowing FIG. 41. One wire is the electrically conductive active wire1120 carrying the time-varying electric current, a second “wire,” orspacer tube 4102 comprises an electrically inert material such as Teflonor plastic that acts to separate the turns of the coil and a thirdpassive electrically conductive wire 1122 acts to counter the electricfield and radio interference or EMI generated by the time-varyingelectric field of the first wire. The outer diameter of the electricallyinert “wire,” or spacer tube 4102 may be selected to achieve the desiredspacing between the turns of the electrically conductive wire carryingthe time-varying electric current. In one embodiment, the gauge of theelectrically inert “wire,” or spacer tube 4102 is AWG28 thin wall,resulting in an outer diameter of 0.036 inches.

In another embodiment, the spacing between the turns of wire on thecoupler is variable. For instance, the spacing between turns may belarger at the ends of the coupler than in the middle, such as shown inFIG. 42A. Alternately, the spacing between the turns of wire may belarger in the middle and more closely spaced at the ends of the coupler,such as shown in FIG. 42B. These figures and descriptions are meant tobe illustrative and are in no way limiting. The spacing of the turns mayalso be random, as a method of cancelling EMI. Varying the spacing ofthe turns of the wire along the coupler may be a means to generate amagnetic and electrical field in the burner envelope that varies inmaximum intensity along the length of the coupler. This may be used toaccommodate variations in the shape of the burner envelope; increasingthe maximum induced magnetic and electric fields where the bulb iswidest and a larger field is needed and minimizing the maximum inducedmagnetic and electric fields in areas where the burner envelope is morenarrow and a smaller field is needed.

In one embodiment of the invention, as shown in FIG. 12B, the end of theRF source 1136 that is not connected to circuit common is electricallyconnected to the turns of wire along the coupler at the end of thecoupler closest to the ballast. This results in the end of the couplerwith the highest voltage relative to ballast circuit common, V_(max),occurring at the end of the coupler exiting the re-entrant cavity.Alternately, the high potential side of the RF source 1136 iselectrically connected to the turns of wire along the coupler at the endfarthest from the ballast as shown in FIG. 43. This results in V_(max)occurring at the inner end of the re-entrant cavity. The positioning ofV_(max) higher in the burner cavity may facilitate startup of the lamp.

In an alternate embodiment, the individual turns of the bifilar windingmay likewise be positioned as close together as possible, such as beingseparated primarily by the insulation of the individual windings. Thewires of the individual windings may be selected such that electricalinsulation is maintained while facilitating the closest possible spacingbetween the wires. It is important to use insulation withhigh-dielectric strength so that the insulation may be kept extremelythin, as close to a bare wire as practicable while maintaining adequateelectrical insulation. Spacing approaching two to six thousandths of aninch between individual windings may be achieved with insulationmaterials such as an enamel coating, silicone, PTFE(polytetrafluoroethylene), polyimide and the like. The windings may bepositioned to achieve desired spacing using a mechanical guiding deviceduring manufacturing, grooves in a ferrite core around which thewindings are being positioned, a mechanical form inserted between aferrite core and the windings designed to hold the wires in the desiredposition, a mechanical form inserted over the windings designed to holdthe wires in the desired position and the like.

In this way, the overall coil length may be substantially reduced,relative to a winding with more loosely spaced turns. Referring to FIGS.33-34, both sets of windings have the same number of turns around thecore. However, in the configuration illustrated in FIG. 33, there is agap between the turns of the bifilar coupler windings, resulting in agiven overall coil length 3302 along the core, while in FIG. 34, theloops of the bifilar coupler winding are closely wound, with a minimalspace between the coils, resulting in a reduced overall coil length3402. The reduced coil length 3402, as compared to coil length 3302,results from the close spacing of the loops, and as such may result infurther EMI reduction.

In order to illustrate this reduced EMI, consider that conducted EMI isproportional to the capacitance of the power coupler relative to theexternal environment. The capacitance of the power coupler isproportional to the area subtended by the windings of the coil.Referring to FIG. 33, a coupler is shown with five windings spaced onthe core. The side surface area of a cylinder is:

A=2πrh

wherer is the radius of the coilh is the vertical coil length 3302 3402 encompassed by the windings.

As the space between the windings decreases, the vertical coil length,h, will decrease as well. Thus, the area encompassed by the turns of thewinding along the core decreases as the space between the windingsdecreases.

A decrease in total coil length (e.g., from 3302 to 3402) may contributeto a decrease in radiated EMI. In general, radiated EMI is due to theelectric dipole strength of the radiator, in this case the coupler coil.The coupler coil has a potential voltage difference between the upperand lower turns of the coil due to the drop in voltage along the couplercoil due to the resistivity of the coil material. The electric dipolestrength is proportional to the product of the length of the coil timesthe potential. So by reducing the vertical length of the coil (h) from3302 to 3402, the electric dipole strength is reduced, and thus, theradiated power at a given harmonic. For a given harmonic frequency omega(w), the total radiated power, follows:

${P(\omega)} \cong \frac{{2\left\lbrack {\frac{^{2}}{t^{2}}\left( {h*{v\left( {\omega,t} \right)}} \right)} \right\rbrack}^{2}}{3\; c^{3}}$

In a non-limiting example, two lamps were made each having twelve turnsof a bifilar coupler winding around a ferrite core. In one lamp theturns were closely spaced, subtending a coil length 3402 ofapproximately nineteen mm. In the second lamp, there was a gap betweenthe turns resulting in the coil subtending a coil length 3302 ofapproximately thirty-one mm. Both lamps showed similar lumen output andstartup characteristics. Referring to Table 2, when both lamps weremeasured for radiated and conducted EMI pursuant to FCC regulations part18 covering radio frequency consumer electronics, the lamp with theshorter coil length 3402 passed while the lamp having the longer coillength 3302 emitted higher EMI and failed.

TABLE 2 Measured Conducted EMI Relative to Coil Length Frequency LimitPeak Line 1 (dBuV) (MHz) (dBuV) 19 mm coil 31 mm coil 2.8 69.5 60.3 70.85.6 48 44.8 51.5 8.4 48 36.0 47.3 11.2 48 35.6 37.6 16.8 48 29.1 39.8

In embodiments, the coil may be positioned in the center of the lengthof the coupler. In a non-limiting example, EMI testing was conducted fora lamp having closely spaced coil windings positioned at the top, centerand bottom of a ferrite core. Referring to Table 3 the coil positionedin the center of the coil exhibited the lowest conducted EMI. When thecoil was further away from the ballast, toward the top of the ferritecore, the EMI was somewhat worse. When the coil was positioned near thebottom of the ferrite core, closer to the ballast, the emitted EMI wasincreased relative to the coil positioned at the top of the ferritecore. Thus, EMI generated when the coil is positioned on the upper twothirds of the ferrite core is reduced relative to the EMI generated whenthe coil is positioned on the lower third of the ferrite core. Theposition of the coil which minimizes EMI is approximately the center ofthe ferrite core.

TABLE 3 Measured EMI relative to Coil Position on Core Frequency LimitPeak Line 1 (dBuV) (MHz) (dBuV) Centered Top Bottom 2.8 69.5 65 70 725.6 48 44 51 57 8.4 48 39 44 47

In embodiments, a variety of EMI suppression means may be implemented,such as including a segmented electrostatic shield between the couplerand re-entrant cavity to reduce conductive EMI, a light transparentconductive coating placed between the lamp glass and phosphor, anexternal metal conductive coating for lamp RF screening, and the like.

An alternative (to bifilar winding) way to balance RF coupler has beenproposed for RF balancing the coupler by winding on it two wires in theazimuthally opposite directions and to optionally drive such couplerwith a symmetrical (push-pull) output ballast.

In examples, a combination of a bifilar symmetric winding with screeningof the RF wire connecting the coupler with the ballast by a braidedshield may provide an EMI reduction of inductive RF fluorescent lamps.

The exemplary embodiments that follow provide an RF induction lamp withsimple and low cost means for suppressing electromagnetic interference.This goal may be achieved by a bifilar winding of the lamp couplerhaving unequal winding wire lengths. Further, an effective grounding ofthe coupler ferromagnetic core may be made with a conductive shell inconductive contact with the coupler ferromagnetic core. These relativelyinexpensive solutions may reduce the conductive electromagneticinterference (EMI) level sufficiently to pass all existing regulationson such interference with significant reserve. In embodiments, theconductive shell may be a foil, a mesh, and the like. The conductive‘shell’ may be implemented as one or of a plurality of conductivestrips. The conductive shell, in contact with the coupler ferromagneticcore, may be located inside the ferromagnetic core (e.g. inserted into acavity within the ferromagnetic core), located between the ferromagneticcore and the coupler windings, located such that a portion of theconductive shell wraps over the coupler windings on the side of thewindings opposite the ferromagnetic core, and the like, or anycombination thereof.

For example, the conductive shell may be a sheet of conductive foillocated between the windings and the ferromagnetic core, with theconductive foil having a strip that wraps over the windings and downalong the top of the windings, such as axially down the power coupler.FIG. 21 shows a front view 2100 and a cross-sectional side view 2101 ofa power coupler with a representative conductive material (e.g., aconductive foil) 2110 located with an inner portion 2112 inside a hollowinterior 2104 of the ferromagnetic core 2102, and wrapped over andaround to the exterior of the power coupler such that an outer portion2114 is located across at least one of the windings 2108. In thisexample, the outer portion 2114 is configured as a single strip ofconducting foil, but one skilled in the art will appreciate that thereare many different configurations that satisfy spirit of the embodiment,such as with a plurality of strips, a thin strip, a wire or plurality ofwires, and the like, with the length of the outer portion being acrossone, more than one, or all of the windings. Further, the size and shapeof the inner portion 2112 may similarly be a wire, a strip, a pluralityof strips, a sheet, a slotted sheet, and the like. In embodiments, theconductive material 2110 may not need to be in direct electrical contactwith the ferromagnetic core, where a relatively large overlappingsurface of the conductive sheet and the ferromagnetic core may provide asufficient interface to ground, as described herein.

In view of the limitations now present in the related art, a new anduseful RF inductive lamp with simplified and effective means forconductive EMI suppression without lamp RF screening and shielded RFwiring is provided.

In accordance with exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, the lampcoupler may be wound with a bifilar winding having an unequal number ofturns, in such a way that additional turns of the passive windingcompensate the capacitive coupling (to the discharge plasma within thelamp envelope) of the RF connecting wire of the active winding. Due toopposite phases of RF voltages on the non-grounded ends of active andpassive windings, the compensation takes place when the induced RFcapacitive currents of opposite phase on the re-entrant cavity are equalor approximately equal to each other.

In accordance with exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, a groundedfoil shell (tube) may be inserted into the ferromagnetic core of thecoupler to reduce the coupler uncompensated common mode RF potential,where the ferromagnetic core may be a tubular ferromagnetic core. Due tothe large shell surface contacting with the core and the very largedielectric constant (or large electrical conductivity) of ferromagneticmaterials, the RF potential of the coupler and thus the conductive EMIcreated by RF lamp may be significantly reduced.

In accordance with exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, the radialposition of the coupler may be fixed inside the re-entrant cavity toprevent its direct mechanical contact to the coupler, which tends toincrease capacitance and, thus, tends to dramatically increasecapacitive coupling and thus, conductive EMI. To provide a minimalcapacitive coupling to the re-entrant cavity, the air gap between thecoupler and re-entrant cavity may need to be fixed and equal over allsurface of the coupler. Such fixation may be realized by means of anincreased coupler diameter on its ends with an additional bonding, aring spacer set on the coupler ends, and the like.

In accordance with exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, a spatiallystable position of the connecting RF wire in the volume outside of theballast compartment may be provided by mechanical fixing the wires onthe inside of the lamp body. Such measure would keep the capacitance ofthe RF connecting wire to the re-entrant cavity at a fixed value duringlamp assembling and reassembling.

FIG. 11 illustrates a cross-section view of an inductive RF lamp inaccordance with an exemplary and non-limiting embodiment. The RF lamp1110 comprises of a glass envelope 1112 with a glass re-entrant cavity1114 sealed into the envelope 1112 and forming a gas discharge vessel(burner) between them. The lamp burner is filled with a working gasmixture of a noble gas such as Argon, Krypton or others and Mercuryvapor. The inner surface of burner, both the envelope 1112 and there-entrant cavity 1114, are covered with a phosphor. With plasmadischarge maintained in the burner, the UV radiation from plasma excitesthe phosphor, which converts UV light to visible light.

The plasma within the burner is maintained by the electric field createdby time-varying magnetic field created by the RF lamp coupler 110sitting inside the re-entrant cavity 1114. The coupler 110, comprising acore 1118 and winding(s) 1120, 1122, is energized by an RF power source(RF ballast) 1136 placed in the ballast cap 1134 and electricallyconnected to the local ground (buss), where the ballast cap 1134 may beeither non-conductive or conductive with a non-conductive coating on theoutside to prevent electrical shock. In this embodiment, the coupler 110consists of a ferromagnetic core 1118 that may be a ferrite with highmagnetic relative permeability μ_(r)>>1, such as where μ_(r) is between20 and 2000. For the frequency of 2.51 MHz to 3.0 MHz allocated for RFlighting, the preferred material may be Ni—Zn ferrite with relativepermeability μ_(r) around 100 having high Curie temperature T_(c)>300°C.

Two windings 1120 and 1122 may be bifilarly wound either directly on thecore 1118 of the coupler 110, or with any form or spool between them.The first active winding 1120 is connected to the ballast 1136 with itsRF end 1126 and its grounded end 1130. RF current in this windingcreates RF magnetic induction in the core that in turn creates thetime-varying electric field that maintains the discharge plasma in thelamp burner.

The second, passive, winding 1122 has the function only of inducing theopposite (reference to the first winding 1120) phase voltage on thecoupler 110, (thereby reducing the lamp conductive EMI). The passivewinding 1122 may be connected to the ballast 1136 only with its groundedend wire 1132, leaving its RF end free.

In embodiments, the number of turns of the passive winding 1122 may notbe equal to that of the active winding 1120. Excess turns 1124 (it couldbe one or more turns, or a fraction of a turn) may be added to thepassive winding. The purpose for addition of these excess turns 1124 isto create some additional (opposite phase) RF capacitive current to there-entrant cavity, to compensate that induced by the RF leads 1126 ofthe active winding.

The general condition of such compensation (the equality of RF currentinduced with opposite phase) is:

∫₀ ^(L) ¹ C ₁(x)V ₁(x)dx=∫ ₀ ^(L) ² C ₂(x)V ₂(x)dx

Here, the integration is along the wire path x. C₁ and C₂ are thedistributed capacitances correspondingly along the active windingconnecting wire 1126 and the passive additional winding 1124; V₁ and V₂are correspondingly, the distributed RF potentials along the wires, andL₁ and L₂ are correspondingly, the length of the connecting andadditional winding wire.

Note that due to the three-dimensional structure of the RF lamp, witharbitrary RF wire positions, it is extremely difficult to calculate thefunctionalities C₁(x) and C₂(x). Therefore, the proper number of turnsin the additional passive winding 1124 may have to be found empiricallyfor a specific RF lamp embodiment.

To further reduce the common mode RF potential of the coupler 110 due toits imperfect balancing, a grounded conductive foil shell (tube) 1128may be inserted into the tubular ferrite core 1118 of the coupler 110.Due to the shell's large surface, its close contact to the inner surfaceof the core 1118, and a very high ferrite core dielectric constant(or/and its high conductivity), the coupler RF potential reference tolocal ground is considerably reduced, and thus, conductive EMI in the RFlamp.

The shell 1128 inserted into the core 1118 may be made of a conductivefoil, such as copper foil, aluminum foil, and the like. It may be madeas a closed tube, have a slot along its axial direction, and the like.In the latter case, the shell may operate as a spring assuring a goodmechanical contact with the inner surface of the core. The length of theshell may be equal, or somewhat longer or shorter than the length of thecoupler. A larger contacting surface between the shell and the couplerwill provide better grounding. On the other hand, a shell length shorterthan that of coupler may be enough for adequate coupler grounding.

Grounding of the coupler with the inserted conductive shell has acertain advantage compared to grounding with an external conductivepatch. Contrary to an external patch, the internal shell may notincrease inter-turn capacitance and may not induce eddy current in theshell. Both these effects diminish the coupler Q-factor and consequentlyincrease power loss in the coupler. The absence of an eddy current inthe inserted shell is due to the fact that RF magnetic lines in thecoupler are parallel to the shell and are diverging on the coupler ends,thus they are not crossing the foil surface.

To prevent the coupler 110 from touching the re-entrant cavity 1114, andthereby increasing conductive EMI, the coupler may need to be fixed inthe approximate center and approximately equidistant of the walls of there-entrant cavity as it is shown in FIG. 12. This may be done with apair of spacers 1140 and 1142 placed correspondingly on the bottom openend and the upper closed ends of the coupler 110. The spacers may bemade of an electrically non-conductive material, such as afiber-reinforced polymer, fiberglass, ceramic fiber, high-temperatureplastic, silicon rubber, and the like. In the case of a fiber-reinforcedpolymer, the fiber may be glass, carbon, basalt, aramid, asbestos, andthe like, and the polymer may be epoxy, vinylester, polyesterthermosetting plastic, phenol formaldehyde resins, and the like. Thespacers may be rated for high-temperature, such as rated to 200° C. Thetop spacer 1142 may better assure axial symmetry between the coupler andreentrant cavity along with providing a cushioned secure fit of thecoupler assembly against the closed end of the glass reentrant cavity.To accommodate this, the spacer 1142 may be made from a pliable materialand have a shape that provides a secure mechanical interface between thecoupler and the re-entrant cavity. The pliable spacer 1142 may have ashape that both provides structural support to prevent movement of thepower coupler axially with respect to the re-entrant cavity and toprovide axial alignment of the power coupler to the re-entrant cavity.Such a shape may include a cylinder, a cylinder with a beveled edge, ahemispherical shape, and the like. The spacer 1142 may also have a holethrough the top, such as smaller than the core. In an example, as shownin FIG. 12, the spacer 1142 may be a beveled spacer 1150 with a holethrough it and with a beveled edge 1154 facing into the corner of there-entrant cavity 1114. More generally, the beveled spacer may bedescribed as a conical frustum shape (e.g. a circular disk-like shapewith a trapezoidal cross-section) where the conical frustum has twoparallel surfaces of unequal surface area, and in this instance, wherethe smaller of the two parallel surfaces faces the closed innermost endof the re-entrant cavity. The beveled or conical frustum shaped spacer1150 may provide a fit to the inside corner of the re-entrant cavity,thus providing greater position stability in maintaining the alignmentof the coupler with respect to the re-entrant cavity. The beveled spacer1150 may provide cushioning between the coupler and the re-entrantcavity along with an additional spacer component 1152 that aids in thealignment of the coupler and the re-entrant cavity. Alternatively, asingle beveled spacer 1158 may be provided that provides both cushioningand alignment, where the single beveled spacer 1158 provides cushioningagainst the closed innermost end of the re-entrant cavity and positionalignment from the sides of the re-entrant cavity. The bevel 1154 mayprovide an especially good fit to the corner of the re-entrant cavitydue to the fact that the inside ‘corner’ of the re-entrant cavity may beconcave in shape and where the bevel 1154 seats the spacer 1142 intothis concave corner much better than would a sharp edged spacer. Inembodiments, the spacer 1142 may also have a lip facing the innermostend of the coupler so as to mechanically secure the position of thepower coupler with respect to the re-entrant cavity. The use of spacers1140 and 1142 may allow for the coupler to be maintained in an axiallyaligned position with respect to the re-entrant cavity, thus improvingEMI performance, and at the same time reducing the need for the couplerto be designed to be a stand-alone structurally rigid component, thuspotentially reducing the cost of the coupler's manufacture.

It may be advantageous to have an air gap between the coupler 110 andre-entrant cavity 1114 rather than filling this space with somecapsulation material having a high dielectric constant, e>>1. In thelatter case, the capacitive coupling of the coupler winding to thedischarge plasma on the opposite side of the re-entrant cavity from thecoupler would increase by e times. Since in practice, it is impossibleto reach the ideal RF balancing of the coupler, its residual common modepotential (and so EMI level) would be e times larger than that with airgap. It is found empirically that the gap between coupler windings andinner surface of re-entrant cavity of approximately 0.5-1.5 mm is enoughfor embodiments of the RF lamp to pass EMI regulations. Although,increasing of the air gap reduces conductive EMI, the inductive couplingefficiency and lamp starting would be deteriorated.

It was found in many experiments with non-shielded RF wire 1126connecting the coupler 110 to ballast 1136, the conductive EMI level isextremely sensitive to the spatial position of this wire within the lampbody. An arbitrary position of this wire after the lamp assembling maydiminish the effect of the measures described above towards EMIreduction in the RF lamp. Therefore, fixing the position of the wire tosome lamp inner elements may be necessary. Note that wire may be neededto be fixed in position only in the space between the coupler 110 andthe grounded ballast case 1134. The position of the wires inside theballast case may not be important for conductive EMI.

As it seen in FIGS. 11 and 12, four wires 1126, 1130, 1132 and 1138 maybe connected between the coupler and the ballast. Indeed, in thisembodiment, three of them, 1130, 1132 and 1138 are grounded within theballast case, and the forth is connected to the output of the RF ballast1136. Practically, only the positioning of the RF wire 1126 is importantfor the EMI issue, but the grounded wires 1130 and 1132 being positionedon both side of the RF wire 1126 (as it shown in Figs. E1 and E2)partially perform a shielding function reducing the sensitivity of theconductive EMI level to the position of the RF wire. For this purpose,the wires 1130, 1132 and between them wire 1126 may be fixed together(touching each other with minimal distance between them) on the innerlamp body, such as with some painting, a sticky tape, and the like.

Numerous experiments conducted in the laboratory showed that theexemplary embodiments considered herein are effective and inexpensiveways to address conductive EMI in an RF lamp.

Evaluation of conductive EMI levels of the exemplary embodimentsdescribed herein has been done by measurement of the lamp surfacevoltage Vp, which is proportional to EMI level. For instance, themaximum value of Vp corresponding to the regulation threshold for RFlamp of size A19 at 2.65 MHz, is 2.8 Volt peak-to-peak.

To measure the Vp values, the lamp glass envelope was entirely coveredwith thin copper foil as it shown in FIG. 13 The foil jacket had eightmeridian slots to prevent its interaction with the lamp RF magneticfield. The capacitance between the foil and the plasma inside the lampburner was estimated as a few hundred pF, which was much larger than theinput capacitance (8 pF) of the RF probe connected between the foil anda scope.

Concurrently, a similar measurement has been done with a commercial lamphaving the same size of A19 (6 cm diameter), where the intent was tocompare the EMI performance of the commercial lamp to a lamp constructedconsistent with exemplary embodiments described above. Since the resultsof the measurements were dependent on lamp run-up time, the measurementsfor both lamps were performed at the same time with a two-channeloscilloscope. The experimental set-up for measurement of the lampsurface voltage Vp is shown in FIG. 14. The 22 kΩ resistor is used toprevent line frequency interference with the measurement of small RFvoltages. The overall test set up was provided by the internationalstandard on EMI test equipment, CISPR 16. Power was provided to the testlamp through a Line Impedance Stabilization Network (LISN). This networkcollected the EMI noise on each power line (120V and Neutral) and routedthe collected EMI to a measurement analyzer. In this case, a spectrumanalyzer that was specifically designed for EMI measurements was used.

In the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) writes therules for EMI compliance. These lamps are required to comply with FCCPart 18. There are several compliance requirements including technicaland non-technical requirements, but only the FCC-specified residentialmarket limits for EMI were used in this coupler comparison. Testing ofthe noise on the power line was done over the range of frequencies from450 kHz to 30 MHz in accordance with FCC Part 18 requirements. The lampswere mounted in an open-air fixture with their bases oriented downward.The warm up times from a cold turn-on were kept the same at one hour. Apeak detector (PK) was used to speed up the testing. The plots ofmeasured data show limit lines that apply when a quasi-peak detector(QP) is used. For this lamp, QP data is typically 3 dB lower than the PKdata. So if the PK data is below the limit line, the QP data will beeven lower and doesn't need to be measured. Typically in EMI testing, PKdata is recorded initially, and QP data is measured if the PK data isnear or over the limit line. For this comparison task, measuring PK dataallows the two couplers to be compared.

FIGS. 15 and 16 show the FCC Part 18 limit line on plots of measureddata for the two lamps. The horizontal axes are frequency in MHz and thevertical axes are the amplitudes of the measured EMI on a log scale inunits of dBuV, or dB above 1 uV. The construction of couplers impactsthe response vs. frequency, and the two different couplers were notexpected to have identical EMI patterns vs. frequency. What is importantis that both couplers have relatively low EMI that is capable ofcomplying with the FCC's technical limits for Part 18 EMI. Although notshown, couplers without EMI reducing features will exceed the FCC'slimits considerably. The main operating frequency of the electroniccircuit powering the coupler is near a frequency of 2.75 MHz. As shownthere is a “chimney” on the limit line between 2.51 and 3.0 MHz. whereincreased EMI is allowed. It should be noted that in this chimney, thegenerated EMI could be quite large. Exemplary embodiments lower the EMIin this chimney, as shown in FIG. 16 relative to that shown in FIG. 15.

The results of different steps discussed above were separately tested onthis set-up, and confirmed for their effectiveness. When these stepswere incorporated together in the final RF lamp embodiment, its EMIlevel was similar to that of the commercial lamp, and both wereconsiderably lower than the regulation threshold. Thus, the measuredvalues of the lamp surface voltage, for the newly invented lamp andcommercial one were 0.58 V and 0.48 V peak-to-peak respectively, valueswell under the required limitations from the FCC for conductive EMI.

Referring to FIGS. 12A and 12B, in certain situations it may bedesirable to connect the coupler 110 to RF ground through a capacitor1144 that has a low impedance at the operating frequency of the lamp,but a high impedance at the frequency of the AC power line. This wouldprevent electrical shock if a human came in contact with an exposedcoupler 110 while the lamp was connected to an AC power line, even ifthe high frequency converter in the ballast was not operating. The term“RF ground” is understood to mean any node of the ballast that has a lowRF potential with respect to the circuit common node. In a typicalballast, both the circuit common, which is typically the negative DCbus, and the positive DC bus, are RF ground nodes. Referring to FIG.12A, in embodiments, the coupler 110 may include a ferromagnetic core18, and the connection of the capacitor 1144 may be made to the coupler110 or to any component associated with the coupler 110, such as aferromagnetic core, a conductive foil or shell inserted within or aroundthe core, and the like. Referring to FIG. 12B, in embodiments, thecoupler 110 may include an air-core, and the connection of the capacitor1144 may be made to the coupler 110, such as directly to the windingreturn 1130, and the like. In embodiments, there may be two capacitorsconnected to the winding, such as one capacitor connected at onelocation (e.g. at a first end of the winding) and a second capacitorconnected at a second location (e.g. at the second end of the winding).The coupler 110 of FIG. 12B is shown with a dotted line to indicate, asdescribed herein, that an air-core coupler may optionally include anon-magnetic and non-conductive supporting material, such as a plasticform, to support the conductor coil, or, if the coil is self-supporting,with no additional support at all.

The potential for electrical shock may arise when an electronic circuitis powered from an AC power line by means of a full wave bridgerectifier because the magnitude of the voltage difference between thepositive output terminal of the full wave bridge rectifier, which isnormally connected to the positive DC bus of the high frequencyconverter, and each of the two AC power lines will periodically be equalto the peak of the AC input voltage between those two power lines. Inlike manner, the magnitude of the voltage difference between thenegative output terminal of the full wave bridge rectifier, which isnormally connected to the negative DC bus of the converter, oftenlabeled circuit common, and each of the two AC power lines will alsoperiodically be equal to the peak of the AC input voltage between thosetwo power lines. Due to this characteristic of circuits powered from ACpower lines through full wave bridge rectifiers, the potential forelectric shock exists if users are allowed to come in contact withcircuit common or other node of the circuit that does not have a highimpedance to circuit common at a frequency of 60 Hz. For instance, andwithout limitation, if the conductive foil shell 1128 shown in FIG. 11is connected directly to any point in the ballast circuit, a potentialfor electrical shock is created if users come in contact with theferrite core 1118 of coupler 110.

In order to remove such a shock hazard, the low resistance connectionbetween the coupler 110 and ballast circuitry should be removed andreplaced with a capacitor 1144 that has a low impedance at the operatingfrequency of the lamp and a high impedance at the power line frequency.

In a non-limiting example, and referring to FIG. 12A, for a lampoperating frequency of 2.65 MHz with a ferromagnetic core withconductive foil shell inserted, and operated from a 60 Hz power line,the isolation capacitor should have a value between 0.6 nF and 13 nF,where we want the 60 Hz leakage current from the ferrite core 1118 toearth ground be no greater than 1 mA, and the magnitude of the impedancefrom the conductive foil shell to circuit common, or to the positive DCbus, at the lamp operating frequency of 2.65 MHz to be no higher than100 Ohms. The magnitude of the impedance of a 0.6 nF capacitor is 100Ohms at 2.65 MHz and 4.4 Meg Ohms at 60 Hz. The magnitude of theimpedance of an 11 nF capacitor is 4.62 Ohms at 2.65 MHz and 200 K Ohmsat 60 Hz. Different capacitor values can be used if these boundaryconditions are relaxed.

In a different non-limiting example, and referring to FIG. 12B, for alamp operating frequency of about 27 MHz with an air-core coupler, andoperated from a 60 Hz power line, the isolation capacitor should have avalue between 60 pF and 13 nF, where we want the 60 Hz leakage currentfrom the coupler 110 to earth ground be no greater than 1 mA, and themagnitude of the impedance from the coupler to circuit common, or to thepositive DC bus, at the lamp operating frequency of about 27 MHz to beno higher than 100 Ohms. The magnitude of the impedance of a 60 pFcapacitor is 98 Ohms at 27 MHz and 44 Meg Ohms at 60 Hz. The magnitudeof the impedance of an 11 nF capacitor is 0.453 Ohms at 27 MHz and 200 KOhms at 60 Hz. Different capacitor values can be used if these boundaryconditions are relaxed.

Optics

In embodiments, optical coatings may be used to optimize the performanceof the induction lamp, such as to maximize visible light emitted,minimize light absorbed by the power coupler, and the like. Opticalcoatings may at least partially reflect, refract, and diffuse light. Forinstance, a reflection coating may be used to reflect light impinging onthe re-entrant cavity back into the burner, as otherwise that light maybe absorbed by the coupler and thus not converted to visible lightemitted to the external environment. Further, light absorbed by thecoupler may contribute unwanted heat to the coupler, thus affecting itsperformance, life, and the like. In another instance, optical coatingsmay be used on the outside envelope of the burner, such as between thephosphor coating and the glass, where this optical coating may enhancethe transfer of light through the glass, such as though index matching.Further, the coating may be used to help decrease absorption of themercury into or onto the glass envelope. Optical coatings may also beused to create or enhance aesthetic aspects of the induction lamp, suchas to create an appearance for the lower portion of the induction lampto substantially look like the glass upper portion of the inductionlamp. In embodiments, coatings on the upper and lower portions of theinduction lamp may be applied so as to minimize the difference in theoutward appearance of the upper and lower portions of the inductionlamp, such as to minimize the differences in the outward appearance ofthe induction lamp to that of a traditional incandescent lamp, thuscreating a more familiar device to the consumer along with a resultingincrease in usage acceptance with respect to being used for replacementof incandescent lamps.

In embodiments, optical components may be provided to enhance a lightingproperty of the induction lamp. Optical components may includereflectors, lenses, diffusers, and the like. Lighting propertiesaffected by optical components may include directionality, intensity,quality (e.g. as perceived as ‘hard’ or ‘soft’), spectral profile, andthe like. Optical components may be integrated with the induction lamp,included in a lighting fixture that houses the induction lamp, and thelike. For instance, reflectors and lenses may be used in a lightingfixture in conjunction with the induction lamp to accommodate a lightingapplication, such as directional down lighting, omnidirectionallighting, pathway lighting, and the like. In an example, a lightingfixture may be created for a directional down light application, wherereflectors proximate to the sides of the induction light direct sidelight from the induction lamp to a downward direction, where a lens mayfurther direct the light reflected from the reflected side light anddirectly from the induction lamp within a desired downward solid angle.

Electronic Ballast Having Improved Power Factor and Total HarmonicDistortion

In embodiments, as shown in FIG. 17, a source of AC voltage 120V, 60 Hzis applied to the full wave bridge rectifier BR 1702 via EMI filter F1704, the DC output voltage of BR is applied directly between thepositive rail +B 1708 and negative rail −B 1710 of the DC bus which iscoupled to the output of BR. There is no traditional energy-storageelectrolytic capacitor across DC bus. A DC backup voltage generated bythe Passive Valley Fill Circuit (PVFC) 1722 is superposed on therectified voltage and results in Vbus voltage for powering a highfrequency resonant inverter INV 1712. A small bypass capacitor Cbp 1714is connected to the input of the DC inverter to smooth out highfrequency voltage ripple generated by the resonant inverter INV. Theresonant inverter INV powers a fluorescent lamp 1718. Multiple lamps maybe powered from a single inverter INV (not shown in FIG. 17). Theinverter INV may have a control circuitry C 1720 for driving powerstages and other needs. This circuitry needs an auxiliary power supply.In FIG. 17 the auxiliary power is obtained from the 4-capacitor 9-diode(4C9D) PVFC via a resistor R1 1724. The PVFC is a network built withfour small capacitors, each having a voltage rating substantially belowthe voltage of the DC bus, and 9 diodes for generating a backup DCvoltage that is about ¼^(th) of the peak rectified voltage. For a 120VAC line this DC voltage will be about 40V. This voltage is sufficient tosupport continuous lamp operation. The PVFC comprises first, second,third, and fourth capacitors, designated C1 1741, C2 1742, C3 1743, andC4 1744, each having a positive terminal designated as “+” and alsohaving a negative terminal. These capacitors are connected in series viafirst, second and third charge diodes designated as D1 1731, D2 1732,and D3 1733, each having an anode and a cathode. The diodes D1, D2, andD3 allow capacitors C1, C2, C3 and C4 to charge in series, but preventthose same capacitors C1, C2, C3, and C4 from discharging in series.Passive Valley Fill Circuit PVFC also comprises fourth, fifth, sixth,seventh, eighth and ninth discharge diodes designated in FIG. 17 as D41734, D5 1735, D6 1736, D7 1737, D8 1738, and D9 1739, each having ananode and a cathode. These discharge diodes provide parallel dischargepaths to the DC bus for capacitor C1, C2, C3, and C4. The first chargecapacitor C1 has its positive terminal connected to DC bus positive rail+B and has its negative terminal connected to the anode of the firstdiode D1. The second capacitor C2 has its positive terminal connected tothe cathode of the first diode D1 and its negative terminal connected tothe anode of the second diode D2. The third capacitor C3 has itspositive terminal connected to the cathode of the second diode D2 andits negative terminal connected to the anode of the third diode D3. Thefourth capacitor C4 has its positive terminal connected to the cathodeof the third diode D3 and its negative terminal connected to the DC busnegative rail, −B. The cathode of the forth diode D4 is connected to thenegative terminal of the first capacitor, C1, and its anode is connectedto DC bus negative rail −B. The cathode of the fifth diode D5 isconnected to the DC bus positive rail, +B, and its anode is connected tothe positive terminal of the second capacitor C2. The cathode of thesixth diode D6 is connected to the negative terminal of the secondcapacitor C2 and its anode is connected to the DC bus negative rail −B.

The anode of the seventh diode D7 is connected to the positive terminalof the third capacitor C3 and its cathode connected to the DC buspositive rail, +B. The anode of the eighth diode D8 is connected to thepositive terminal of the fourth capacitor C4 and its cathode isconnected to the DC bus positive rail, +B. The anode of the ninth diodeD9 is connected to the DC bus negative rail −B and its cathode isconnected to the negative terminal of the third capacitor C3.

In embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 19, the 4C9D PVFC 1722(comprising C1 1741, C2 1742, C3 1743, C4 1744, D1 1731, D2 1732, D31733, D4 1734, D5 1735, D6 1736, D7 1737, D8 1738, and D9 1739) isutilized in combination with a TRIAC dimmer DM 1902, which is connectedbetween the AC line 1904 and the input of the ballast 1908. The specialfeatures of the 4C9D PVFC is that this circuit eliminates interruptionsof current flow from the AC line that cause flicker in the lamp.

With reference to FIG. 17, the operation of the ballast 1908 may beexplained as follows. When the AC switch (not shown) is turned “on”, ACpower is applied directly to the bridge rectifier BR 1702. There is notraditional electrolytic capacitor at the output of the rectifier, sothat the inverter INV 1712 is powered from unsmoothed rectified voltage.However, the inverter INV may provide a significant lamp startingvoltage when the DC bus voltage is near the peak of the AC line voltageand thereby start the lamp 1718 for at least 1-2 msec. Series capacitorsC1-C4 are charged from the DC bus directly through diodes D1 to D3.Inrush current is limited by the impedance of EMI filter F 1704 andseries resistance of the series capacitors C1-C4. In a quarter of thepower line voltage cycle, each of capacitors C1 to C4 is charged to a DCvoltage that is about of ¼th of AC peak voltage (40V DC at 120V AC powerline). Current to the inverter INV will be provided either from the ACline or from capacitors C1-C4 when they discharge in parallel, dependingon which of the instantaneous voltages is higher. When the instantaneousAC line voltage is above 40-45V, current will be drawn from the AC line.The current conduction angle in the bridge rectifier BR of the ballastis higher than in prior art Passive Valley Fill circuits.

FIG. 18 demonstrates actual oscillograms of the input AC line currentand DC bus voltage in the ballast circuit of FIG. 17 after starting insteady-state mode. A power factor PF=0.96-097 can be achieved forballasts driving gas discharge lamps.

Referring to FIG. 19, a system is provided that includes an electronicballast with the 4C9D PVFC and TRIAC dimmer (such as a wall dimmer)placed in between the power line and the input terminal of the ballast.When the dimmer TRIAC turns on, all four capacitors C1-C4 are charged inseries. Therefore, in the absence of an electrolytic capacitor directlyconnected to the DC bus, the inverter INV consumption current providesfor the TRIAC holding current. This current can satisfy a commercialdimmer to keep it in the “on” position. Thus, light flickering caused byturning on and off the dimmer TRIAC is avoided. When the instant ACvoltage becomes lower than the capacitor voltage, the Bridge RectifierBR is backed up and the inverter INV is supplied by discharge current ofcapacitors C1-C4. The TRIAC loses its holding current and automaticallyturns off until the next half period. But the gas discharge in the lampcontinues at a reduced power, so that with new pulses coming from thedimmer, the lamp does not need to restart. FIG. 20 demonstrates input ACcurrent and DC bus voltage waveforms with the TRIAC dimmer at 50% “on”.The system in FIG. 19 features a wider dimming range than prior artballasts. For 16-20 W gas discharge lamps, 22uV, 63V capacitors valuesfor C1-C4 may provide a dimming range down to approximately 10%. DiodesD1-D9 may be selected to be the same type. Small signal diodes and diodearrays may be used for cost and space saving.

While only a few embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that manychanges and modifications may be made thereunto without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the present disclosure as described in thefollowing claims. All patent applications and patents, both foreign anddomestic, and all other publications referenced herein are incorporatedherein in their entireties to the full extent permitted by law.

All documents referenced herein are hereby incorporated by reference.

What is claimed is:
 1. An induction RF fluorescent lamp, comprising: abulbous vitreous envelope filled with an ionizable gas mixture; a powercoupler comprising at least one winding of an electrical conductor; anelectronic ballast, wherein the electronic ballast provides appropriatevoltage and current to the power coupler; a switchable electrical loadto provide a load for an external dimming device, and a controlprocessor running a load control algorithm at least for switching theelectrical load for connection to the external dimming device.
 2. Thelamp of claim 1, wherein the load control algorithm switches theelectrical load out of the circuit during on-time intervals of anexternal dimming device connected to the external dimming device inputand switches the electrical load into the circuit during off-timeintervals of the external dimming device.
 3. The lamp of claim 1,wherein the load control algorithm is enabled when the presence of theexternal dimming device is sensed at the control processor.
 4. The lampof claim 1, wherein the load control algorithm reduces flicker in thelamp.
 5. The lamp of claim 1, wherein an input to the load controlalgorithm is a dimming signal from the external dimming device.
 6. Thelamp of claim 5, wherein the control processor detects the phase cutfrom the line voltage by the external dimming device.
 7. The lamp ofclaim 6, wherein the detected type is a leading-edge type externaldimming device.
 8. The lamp of claim 6, wherein the detected type is atrailing-edge type external dimming device.
 9. The lamp of claim 6,wherein the external dimming device has both leading edge and trailingedges cut out of the line voltage.
 10. The lamp of claim 6, wherein theexternal dimming control device is a TRIAC-based dimming device.
 11. Thelamp of claim 1, wherein an input to the load control algorithm is aswitch setting of a switch on the induction RF fluorescent lamp.
 12. Thelamp of claim 7, wherein the switch setting disables dimming control.13. The lamp of claim 7, wherein the switch setting enables dimmingcontrol.
 14. The lamp of claim 1, wherein the load control algorithmdetects an external dimming device type of the external dimming device,and automatically adjusts the electrical load based on the detecteddevice type.
 15. A method, comprising: providing an induction RFfluorescent lamp with a bulbous vitreous envelope filled with anionizable gas mixture, a power coupler comprising at least one windingof an electrical conductor, an electronic ballast to provide appropriatevoltage and current to the power coupler, a switchable electrical load,and a control processor, wherein the switchable load provides a load foran external dimming device and the control processor runs a load controlalgorithm for switching the electrical load for connection to theexternal dimming device.
 16. The lamp of claim 15, wherein the loadcontrol algorithm switches the electrical load out of the circuit duringon-time intervals of an external dimming device connected to theexternal dimming device input and switches the electrical load into thecircuit during off-time intervals of the external dimming device. 17.The lamp of claim 15, wherein an input to the load control algorithm isa dimming signal from the external dimming device.
 18. The lamp of claim17, wherein the control processor detects the phase cut from the linevoltage by the external dimming device.
 19. The lamp of claim 18,wherein the external dimming device is at least one of a leading edgeand trailing edge type external dimming device.
 20. The lamp of claim18, wherein the external dimming control device is a TRIAC-based dimmingdevice.